Abstract

Background/Objectives: Food cravings are common with high-palatability foods that are high in sugar and/or fat. Food cues can strongly induce food craving, and heightened food cue reactivity is associated with eating disorders and obesity. Sweet taste signalling is suggested to be an important regulator of appetite and food intake, with sensory-metabolic mismatch potentially relevant for the food craving experience. This study investigated the interaction between taste and food cues and food craving in healthy people with and without ingestion of a sugary drink. Methods: This study had a randomised crossover design with 47 healthy individuals who participated in two experimental trials. Fasted individuals were exposed to food cues, and food craving pre- and post-exposure was measured via a newly validated method using handgrip force as a response modality. This was followed either by ingestion (ingestion trial) or mouth rinse (mouth rinse trial) of a sugary drink and reassessment of food cue craving responses. Continuous interstitial glucose monitoring was performed using a glucose sensor inserted into the upper arm, and a blood sample for leptin levels was taken. Results: A strong food craving response to food cues was bound to the fasted state, while ingestion of a sugary drink blunted food cue reactivity and reduced craving levels. Mouth rinse induced a stable increase in food craving, which reached a maximum after food cues. Interstitial glucose levels over the after-trial periods (incremental area under the curve, iAUC) were significantly higher for the rinse trial day than for the ingestion trial day, which may suggest higher carbohydrate/sugar intake after the rinse trial, while craving levels were associated with iAUC in the rinse trial. Conclusions: Outcomes indicate that taste/flavour in connection with food cues may generate an error signal experienced as food craving, whereas receipt of sugars, with concomitant physiological responses, reduces the signal and diminishes food craving. These results highlight the importance of sensory-metabolic mismatch in the food craving experience.