Abnormal Eating and Taste Perception in Subjects With Obesity

NCT05772052 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 43C002
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 300
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The identification of safe and effective strategies for weight loss and long-term maintenance is critical to reduce the alarming prevalence of obesity worldwide and mitigate obesity-associated health risks. Specifically, Binge Eating (BE) and Food Addiction (FA) behaviors are well known causes of failed weight loss and weight regain. The definitions of their clinical phenotypes are currently evolving. Recent evidence suggests that food choices, behavior and reward may be driven also by taste perception. The hypothesis of this study is that subjects with dysfunctional eating behavior have different taste thresholds compared to obese subjects without eating disorders, and that this characteristic influences food choice and eating behavior. Identifying a difference in the taste thresholds between obese with and without eating disorder will allow us to understand why certain individuals over-consume or binge on densely caloric foods and to give them a tailored dietary treatment so as to maintain weight loss for a long time. The Binge eating and Food Addiction is assessed using Binge Eating Scale and Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. Subjects with obesity recruited are divided in 4 groups: without eating disorder, with food addiction (FA), with binge eating (BE) and with FA + BE. In these groups sweet and salty taste will be measured with the 3-Alternative-Forced-Choice method.

Conditions

Obesity

Keywords

Taste; Obesity; Food addiction; Binge eating; sweet; salty

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• sweet taste recognition threshold

  The sweet taste recognition threshold is assessed in subjects without eating disorders, with FA,with BE and FA+ BE

  baseline

• salt taste recognition threshold

  The salt taste recognition threshold is assessed in subjects without eating disorders, with FA,with BE and FA+ BE

  baseline

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• prevalence of binge eating (BE)

  baseline

• prevalence of Food Addiction (FA)

  baseline

• prevalence of Food Addiction (FA) + Binge Eating (BE)

  baseline

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects with obesity referred to Istituto Auxologico Italiano for weight loss program

You may qualify if:

• BMI\>30 kg/m2 and \<45 kg/m2

You may not qualify if:

• uncooperative patients
• heavy smokers
• pregnancy or recent (in the last 6 months) childbirth
• thyroid disorders
• presence of endocrine abnormalities associated with obesity
• current or recent oral, nasal or sinus infections
• major psychiatric disorder even in pharmacological compensation
• patients who had undergone bariatric surgery

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istituto Auxologico Italiano: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istituto Auxologico Italiano

Milan, 20145, Italy

RECRUITING

Related Publications (4)

• Aloi M, Rania M, Rodriguez Munoz RC, Jimenez Murcia S, Fernandez-Aranda F, De Fazio P, Segura-Garcia C. Validation of the Italian version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (I-YFAS 2.0) in a sample of undergraduate students. Eat Weight Disord. 2017 Sep;22(3):527-533. doi: 10.1007/s40519-017-0421-x. Epub 2017 Aug 5.

  PMID: 28780748 BACKGROUND

• Arlt JM, Smutzer GS, Chen EY. Taste assessment in normal weight and overweight individuals with co-occurring Binge Eating Disorder. Appetite. 2017 Jun 1;113:239-245. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.02.034. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

  PMID: 28242311 BACKGROUND

• Bertoli S, Leone A, Ponissi V, Bedogni G, Beggio V, Strepparava MG, Battezzati A. Prevalence of and risk factors for binge eating behaviour in 6930 adults starting a weight loss or maintenance programme. Public Health Nutr. 2016 Jan;19(1):71-7. doi: 10.1017/S1368980015001068. Epub 2015 May 11.

  PMID: 25958773 BACKGROUND

• Proserpio C, Laureati M, Bertoli S, Battezzati A, Pagliarini E. Determinants of Obesity in Italian Adults: The Role of Taste Sensitivity, Food Liking, and Food Neophobia. Chem Senses. 2016 Feb;41(2):169-76. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjv072. Epub 2015 Dec 15.

  PMID: 26671250 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Food Addiction; Bulimia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior, Addictive; Compulsive Behavior; Impulsive Behavior; Behavior; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mental Disorders; Hyperphagia; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive

Study Officials

• Simona Bertoli, MD

  Istituto Auxologico Italiano

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Luisa Gilardini, MF

CONTACT

+0261911; l.gilardini@auxologico.it

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 6, 2023
• First Posted: March 16, 2023
• Study Start: November 2, 2020
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: October 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

IT (1)