#612: Does Sweet Taste Exposure Actually Develop Preference? – Prof. Katherine Appleton

A common idea is that repeated exposure to sweet taste strengthens our preference for sweetness, which then drives greater intake of sweet foods and drinks. This idea is often used in arguments about fruit, low-calorie sweeteners, diet drinks, and the supposed need to "reset" taste preferences by avoiding sweetness altogether.

But does the evidence actually support that causal chain?

In this episode, Prof. Katherine Appleton, Professor of Psychology at Bournemouth University, discusses what is known about sweet taste exposure, sweet preference, and how these concepts are measured in the scientific literature.

Timestamps:

• [04:23] Interview starts
• [07:35] Sweetness terms explained
• [10:17] Sweet liker phenotypes
• [14:03] Liking vs wanting vs preference
• [19:18] Trial evidence overview
• [23:48] Policy and practical impact
• [30:41] Why we eat foods

Links:

• Go to episode page (incl. links to studies)
• Join the Sigma newsletter for free
• Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
• Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course