MENSTRUAL-CYCLE AND DIETARY RESTRAINT INFLUENCE TASTE PREFERENCES IN YOUNG-WOMEN

Menstrual cycle and dietary restraint influence taste preferences in y oung women. PHYSIOL BEHAV 55(3) 561-567, 1994.-Previous reports indica te that some women increase their consumption of sugar and fat premens trually. To ascertain whether this is due to differences in taste acui ty for sweetness and fatness and/or preference across the menstrual cy cle, 25 female and 12 male undergraduates rated the pleasantness, swee tness, and fatness of 16 taste stimuli made of dairy products with var ied fat contents (0%, 3.5%, 10%, 36%) and sucrose (0%, 5%, 10%, 20%) o ver 4 consecutive weeks. There was a marked decline in ratings over th e 4 weeks of testing. Taste preferences of women were not uniform acro ss the menstrual cycle. Those who began testing during the luteal and menstrual weeks had increased preference ratings compared to those who began during the follicular or ovulatory weeks. Preference ratings fo r taste stimuli containing OI and 5% sucrose were lower in women with higher scores on a restraint of eating scale, than for women with lowe r scores. No differences in sweetness or fatness ratings were observed across the menstrual cycle, or as a function of dietary restraint. Me n had increased preference for taste stimuli containing 10% and 20% su crose compared to women; however, no differences in ratings of either sweetness or fatness were found as a function of gender. These data in dicate that taste preference in women is not homogeneous across the cy cle. Instead, many factors, including the menstrual cycle and degree o f eating restraint, influence preference ratings.