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Salivary habituation to food stimuli in successful weight loss maintainers, obese and normal-weight adults

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 593–596 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

Research shows that slower habituation of salivary responses to food stimuli is related to greater energy intake and that obese (Ob) individuals habituate slower than those of normal weight (NW). No study has examined habituation rates in weight loss maintainers (WLMs) who have reduced from obese to normal weight, relative to those who are Ob or NW.

Design:

Salivation to two baseline water trials and 10 lemon-flavored lollipop trials were studied in 14 WLMs, 15 Ob and 18 NW individuals comparable in age, gender and ethnicity. Linear mixed models were used to compare WLMs with Ob and NW groups.

Results:

Salivation in the WLM and NW groups decreased significantly (for both P <0.005) across trials, indicative of habituation. Salivary responses in the Ob group did not habituate (P=0.46). When compared with Ob group, WLMs showed a quicker reduction in salivation (P<0.05). WLM and NW groups did not differ in habituation rate (P=0.49).

Conclusions:

WLMs have habituation rates that are comparable to NW individuals without previous history of obesity, and show quicker habituation than those who are currently obese. These results suggest that physiological responses to food may ‘normalize’ with successful weight loss maintenance.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant DK066787-02S2. Dr Bond is supported by National Institutes of Health Grant DK083438-01.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/The Miriam Hospital, Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, Providence, RI, USA

    D S Bond, J M McCaffery & R R Wing

  2. Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    H A Raynor

Authors
  1. D S Bond
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  2. H A Raynor
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  3. J M McCaffery
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  4. R R Wing
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Correspondence to D S Bond.

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Bond, D., Raynor, H., McCaffery, J. et al. Salivary habituation to food stimuli in successful weight loss maintainers, obese and normal-weight adults. Int J Obes 34, 593–596 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2009.267

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