Metabolic and sensory influences on odor sensitivity in humans

Abstract

Our olfactory sense plays an important role in eating behavior by modulating our food preferences and intake. However, hunger or satiety may also influence how we perceive odors. Albeit speculative, contradictory results found in the past may have resulted from confounding by type of meal that participants ate to induce satiety. We aimed to investigate the influence of hunger state on olfactory sensitivity, comparing hunger to satiety using 2 different types of lunch to control for sensory-specific satiety. Odor detection thresholds were measured in 2 groups of participants (39 per group, 18-40 years), under 3 conditions: when hungry (twice), after a sweet lunch, and after a savory lunch. One group had their detection thresholds tested for a sweet odor, whereas in the other group, sensitivity to a savory odor was measured. Differences in olfactory sensitivity conditions were analyzed using linear mixed models. Participants had higher scores on the odor sensitivity task in a hungry versus satiated state (P = 0.001). Within the satiated condition, there was no effect of type of lunch on odor sensitivity. In conclusion, hunger slightly enhances sensitivity to food odors, but did not significantly depend on the type of food participants ate, suggesting no clear influence of sensory-specific satiety.