FOOD PREFERENCES IN PRADER-WILLI-SYNDROME, NORMAL-WEIGHT AND OBESE CONTROLS

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to assess the specific food type ( high carbohydrate, high fat, high protein) preference profiles of indi viduals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), obese controls and normal we ight individuals. DESIGN: Subjects tasted a food predominantly high in carbohydrate, a food predominantly high in protein and a food predomi nantly high in fat over repeated trials and indicated their most prefe rred, second preferred and least preferred foods. Specific items teste d on a given trial were counterbalanced in a black randomized fashion. SUBJECTS: These were 12 individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome, 12 ma tched obese controls (obese, but otherwise normal) and 14 normal weigh t subjects. MEASUREMENTS: The basic data were expressed as a proportio n of each food type selected as most preferred over the total 27 trial s. RESULTS: PWS subjects preferred high carbohydrate foods over high p rotein foods and high protein foods over high fat foods. These subject s demonstrated a statistically reliable difference in preference for h igh carbohydrate foods over high fat foods. However, normal weight and obese control subjects demonstrated no difference in food preferences . The only significant between-group comparisons were between PWS subj ects and obese controls, with the PWS group showing a significantly gr eater preference for high carbohydrate foods than obese controls. CONC LUSIONS: The obesity of PWS was shown to have a significant and distin ctly different food preference profile from normal weight and obese co ntrols. The differences in food preference between the obese PWS and n on-PWS subjects is in accord with the growing recognition of functiona l subgroups within the obese population, that may have not only differ ing underlying etiologies, but also distinct behavioral profiles of in gestion.