Abstract #3694

Caloric and Non-Caloric Versions of a Soft Drink Differentially Affect Taste Activation Before Consumption

Paul Smeets^1,2, Pascalle Weijzen², Cees de Graaf², Max Viergever¹

¹Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands; ²Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands

Satiation is brought about by a combination of sensory and metabolic factors.We investigated the effects of sip size (small large) and energy content (Energy No Energy) on taste activation by scanning subjects before and after ingestion of 450mL orangeade using fMRI. Energy content affected brain activation associated with tasting orangeade before, but not after, treatment in the amygdala, striatum and inferior temporal gyrus. Sip size had no significant effects. Our results show that the brain can distinguish between caloric and non-caloric beverages and suggest that sensory and metabolic satiation differentially affect taste activation.