PII S0031-9384(98)00117-6 Adolescent Acceptance of Different Foods by Obesity Status and by Sex MARIJA ADAM PERL*, MILENA L. MANDIC ´ ,† 1 LJILJANA PRIMORAC,† TOMISLAV KLAPEC† AND ANTONIJA PERL† *Clinical Hospital Osijek and †University J. J. Strossmayer, Faculty of Food Technology, Osijek, Croatia Received 26 November 1996; Accepted 25 March 1998 PERL, M. A., M. L. MANDIC ´ , L. PRIMORAC, T. KLAPEC AND A. PERL. Adolescent acceptance of different foods by obesity status and by sex. PHYSIOL BEHAV 65(2) 241–245, 1998.—This work investigated possible differences in food preference between obese and normal-weight adolescents, as well as between female and male seventh-grade pupils (average age = 13.1 years). Survey of affinities for nine food groups was determined with a facial hedonic scale. The children were divided according to their BMI into normal-weight and obese group, respectively. In this sample of adolescents, we could not find any proof for the theory of increased preference for fattening foods by obese compared to normal-weight people. In fact, our normal-weight group showed greater liking of sweets, meat, and cereals than the obese group. Normal-weight boys also preferred meat and sweets more than normal-weight girls. We consider psychological and social factors (e.g., perception of ideal body shape or social stigmatism of obesity) as the most logical explanations for the observed differences. Further research should clarify whether food preference plays a significant role in the etiology of adolescent obesity. © 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. Adolescents Food preference Hedonic scale Obesity status Body mass index Sex OBESITY is one of the most common disorders in developed countries. Aside from its possible psychological and social impli- cations, it is associated with a number of health problems like hyperlipidemia, carbohydrate intolerance, pulmonary and renal problems, pregnancy complications, hypertension, and diabetes (3). Obesity increases both overall mortality and the risk of death from CVD with the newest studies showing that these risks decline with age (34,38,50). Prevalence of obesity is increasing both in adults and children over the last decades (30,36,51). Essentially, scientists agree on genetic, as well as nutritional background of the disorder. The unfavorable ratio between energy intake and level of physical activity is often blamed as the main cause for the rise in childhood obesity. Obesity in childhood usually tracks into adult- hood (6). The difficulties associated with the necessary multiple approach in the treatment of obesity warrant the need for effective preventive measures applicable in early childhood (24). Food preference could have a role in the etiology of obesity. It has been shown that highly palatable foods can bring about obesity in experimental animals (2,45). In humans, it is a much more com- plex issue. It has been found that dieting status has a greater influence than weight on food preference of adolescents (7). De- viations of food preference in psychologically based eating disor- ders like anorexia and bulimia nervosa have also been detected (9,10,47). Similarly, lower preference for high-sucrose and high- fat stimuli have also been reported for female athletes (8). An association between food preference and sensory ratings of olfac- tory stimuli has been found, which could be pointing to a physi- ological basis of food preference (23). Obese people are generally regarded as overresponsive to sweet foods. However, as pointed out by some authors, some of the incriminated, highly palatable foods like chocolate and cookies are rich in fat as well as in carbohydrates and sucrose. (12). The same group of authors also reported an increased preference for sweetened high-fat foods in obese subjects (11). It appears that opioid peptides control food intake, regulating the pleasure response to foods (37). Higher plasma levels of opioid peptides have been found in obese women, as compared to normal-weight women (29). The same has been found in obese rats (40). It has been suggested that abnormalities in the secretion of endogenous peptides could account for elevated sensory preference and overeating of sweet high-fat foods (14). It has also been shown, both in experimental animals and humans, that consumption of such foods increases release of opioid pep- tides (19,28). Therefore, it is possible that opioid effects form the basis for the development of food preferences. There is new evidence for genetic influence on food preference (21). The au- thors also emphasized the importance of accessibility of preferred foods for preference to have an effect on the use of such foods. The importance of parental influence for the development of food preferences in children has also been emphasized (35). This work investigates possible differences in food preference between obese and normal-weight adolescents, as well as between female and male adolescents. In our survey, we tested the hypothesis of obese 1 Address correspondence to Dr. Milena L. Mandic ´, Faculty of Food Technology, F. Kuhae `a 18, pp 709, HR-31107 Osijek, Croatia. E-mail: Milena.Mandic@ptfos.hr Physiology & Behavior, Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 241–245, 1998 © 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. 0031-9384/98 $19.00 + .00 241