TASTE PREFERENCES AND FOOD-INTAKE

Sensory responses to the taste, smell, and texture of foods help deter mine food preferences and eating habits. However, sensory responses al one do not predict food consumption. The view that a ''sweet tooth'' l eads to obesity through excess sugar consumption is overly narrow. In reality, there are multiple links between taste perceptions, taste pre ferences, food preferences, and food choices and the amount of food co nsumed. Taste responses are influenced by a range of genetic, physiolo gical, and metabolic variables. The impact of taste factors on food in take further depends on sex and age and is modulated by obesity, eatin g disorders, and other pathologies of eating behavior. Food preference s and food choices of populations are further linked to attitudinal, s ocial, and-probably most important-economic variables such as income. Nutrition education and intervention strategies aimed at improving pop ulation diets ought to consider sensory pleasure response to foods, in addition to a wide range of demographic and sociocultural variables.