Our findings are among the first to demonstrate a relationship between
sensation and perception of fat and sucrose and the reinforcing
value of food in humans. Although previous work has suggested a link
between taste functioning and food intake, our data extend these
findings by proving evidence that the mechanism for increased energy
intake in people with lower sensation and perception of sucrose
and fat may be through increasing the reinforcing value of food. In addition,
we showed that perception of tastes that were restricted to the
tongue and not swallowed was a better predictor than those arising
from swallowed stimuli. This suggests that post-ingestive feedback
from tastes may provide additional cues that regulate the reinforcing
value of food in a different way than exposure to taste alone. Future
studies will examine the reinforcing value of food in individuals
who have taste dysfunction.