Table 3.
Key clinical parameters in the studies that investigated the effect of obesity surgery on the sensory domain of taste (recognition).
| Author (year) | N | Group (s) | % Female | Age at Baseline (y) | T2DM (%) | Time after Intervention (months) | Baseline BMI (kg/m2) | Weight Loss (% or kg) |
Time Since Meal (h) | Taste Modality | Stimuli and Concentration |
Methodology | Key Results (Post vs. Pre Surgery) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Scruggs 1994 [52] |
6 10 |
RYGB NWC |
100% 100% |
34.1 ± 7.8 36.7 ± 6.9 |
? | 1, 2, 3 n/a |
44.2 ± 7.1 20.6 ± 1.89 |
15, 10, 7 kg n/a |
? | Sweet Sour Salty Bitter |
sucrose (6–5800 mM) HCl (0.5–500 mM) NaCl (6–6100 mM) urea (90–5000 mM) |
3-AFC [62] | ↑ SW a, SA, BI ↑↓ SO b |
|
Burge 1995 [11] |
14 4 |
RYGB VLCD |
57.1% | 38.4 ± 6 47 ± 6 |
? | 1.5, 3 1.5, 3 |
60.8 ± 11.8 43 ± 9 |
? | ? | Sweet Bitter |
sucrose (0.01- 0.1 M) urea (0.01–0.5 M) |
2-AFC [61] | ↑ SW ↔ BI |
|
Holinski 2015 [45] |
37/4/3 23 |
VSG/AGB/RYGB NOC |
65.9% 56.2% |
47.1 ± 9.8 39.5 ± 13.5 |
0 0 |
6 6 |
48.6 ± 7.5 23.4 ± 3.8 |
29.5 kg (20.6%) 0.1 kg (0.1%) |
? | Sweet Sour Salty Bitter |
sucrose (0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05 g/mL) citric acid (0.3, 0.165, 0.09, 0.05 g/mL) NaCl (0.25, 0.1, 0.04, 0.016 g/mL) quinine HCl (0.006, 0.0024, 0.0009, 0.0004 g/mL) |
Burghart taste strip [63] | ↑ SW, SO, SA, BI e |
|
Altun 2016 [54] |
52 | VSG | 57.7% | 38.5 ± 9.4 | ? | 1, 3 | 45.8 ± 7.2 | 1m: 25 ±7.1% g 3m: 43.9 ±10.3% g |
1 h | Sweet Sour Salty Bitter |
sucrose (0.4, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05 g/mL) citric acid (0.3, 0.165, 0.09, 0.05 g/mL) NaCl (0.25, 0.1, 0.04, 0.016 g/mL) quinine HCl (0.006, 0.0024, 0.0009, 0.0004 g/mL) |
Burghart taste strip [63] | ↑ SW, SO, SA, BI |
|
ElLabban 2016 [49] |
9 12 |
RYGB VSG |
33.3% 75.0% |
37.0 ± 11.0 28.4 ± 7.2 |
? | 16.8 22.8 |
42.8 ± 3.6 41.3 ± 4.7 |
38.2 kg 35.9 kg | 2 h | Sweet Sour Salty Savoury |
sucrose (64 mM) c citric acid 1-hydrate (8 mM) c sodium chloride (112 mM) c quinine sulfate (200 mM) c |
3-AFC [62] | ↔ SW, SA, BI d ↓ SO d |
|
Nielsen 2019 [54] |
21 8 29 |
RYGB VSG NOC |
100% 100% 100% |
37.1 ± 9.9 45.0 ± 9.5 40.0 [10.4] |
0 0 0 |
1.5, 6, 18 1.5, 6, 18 n/a |
47.9 ± 6.5 43.5 ± 4.6 22.1 ± 2.4 |
18 m: 42.3 kg 18 m: 22.7 kg n/a |
1 h | Sweet | sucrose (0 g/L, 0.34 g/L, 0.55 g/L, 0.94 g/L, 1.56 g/L, 2.59 g/L, 4.32 g/L, 7.2 g/L, 12 g/L) | 2-AFC [61] | ↔ SW e ↑ SW f |
Abbreviations: BI: bitter, BMI: body mass index, DT: detection threshold, h: hour, HCl: hydrochloric acid, kg: kilogram, m: month, M: mol/L, mM: mmol/L, NaCl: sodium chloride, NOC: non obese control, RT: recognition threshold, RYGB: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, SA: salty, SO: sour, SW: sweet, T2DM: type 2 diabetes mellitus, VLCD: very low-calorie diet, VSG: vertical sleeve gastrectomy, y: years. Data given as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range). Footnotes: a Post 1 and 2 months, but not post 3 months compared with pre-surgery. b Increased post 1 month, decreased post 2 and 3 months. c Highest levels, level 9; subsequently, eight less concentrated stimulus levels for each taste were prepared using a dilution factor of 2 of the previous level. d Comparison between RYGB vs. VSG. e Combined both groups. f 6 months after RYGB group only. g Excess weight loss. ? data not reported.