2 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
This study seeks to determine if non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) taste detection thresholds change with repeated testing. Threshold testing for NEFA taste has been reported by a number of laboratories, including our own; however, these studies have reported data for only one testing occasion. The investigators seek to conduct repeated testing to measure the test-retest reliability of these methods. The investigators believe that with repeated exposure to NEFA, a person's sensitivity increases. The investigators are also testing the efficiency of testing by two methods (forced-choice ascending trial versus staircase). Additionally, the association between taste responses, diet and BMI will be explored.
Differences in human oral sensitivity for caproic, lauric, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids will be explored. Prior work indicates that there may be a learning effect in measuring detection thresholds for free fatty acids. This study is designed to determine the number of visits necessary to attenuate this learning effect and also to test whether this effect continues across different types of fatty acids or is specific to each fatty acid. This will aid in understanding how many visits are required to obtain reliable data and if less expensive fatty acids can be used to attenuate learning before testing thresholds for more expensive fatty acids.