Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jan;49(1):96-103.
doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01289.x. Epub 2011 Sep 19.

Exposure to acute stress is associated with attenuated sweet taste

Mustafa Al'Absi  1 , Motohiro Nakajima, Stephanie Hooker, Larry Wittmers, Tiffany Cragin
Affiliations

Exposure to acute stress is associated with attenuated sweet taste

Mustafa Al'Absi et al. Psychophysiology. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of stress on taste perception. Participants (N = 38; 21 women) completed two laboratory sessions: one stress (public speaking, math, and cold pressor) and one control rest session. The taste perception test was conducted at the end of each session and included rating the intensity and pleasantness of sweet, salty, sour, and savory solutions at suprathreshold concentrations. Cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures were collected throughout the sessions. Participants showed the expected changes in cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures in response to stress. Reported intensity of the sweet solution was significantly lower on the stress day than on the rest day. Cortisol level poststress predicted reduced intensity of salt and sour, suggesting that stress-related changes in adrenocortical activity were related to reduced taste intensity. Results indicate that acute stress may alter taste perception, and ongoing research investigates the extent to which these changes mediate effects of stress on appetite.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean cardiovascular and cortisol measures during the laboratory session. Line bars indicate standard error of the mean. Note. For cardiovascular measures, Recovery A includes data collected during the first 10 minutes of the recovery period; Recovery B includes data collected during the last 10 minutes of recovery. For cortisol, Recovery A sample was collected after 10 minutes of recovery and Recovery B sample was collected at the end of recovery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean subjective measures during the laboratory sessions. Line bars indicate standard error of the mean. Recovery A measure was collected after 10 minutes of recovery and Recovery B measure was collected at the end of recovery.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean taste perception measures. Line bars indicate standard error of the mean. Note. The numerical position of the verbal rating for the intensity scale (the Labeled Magnitude Scale; Green et al., 1996) was: 1.4 (barely detectable); 6.1 (weak); 17.2 (moderate); 35.4 (strong), 53.3 (very strong); 100 (strongest imaginable). * p < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. al’Absi M, Bongard S, Buchanan T, Pincomb GA, Licinio J, Lovallo WR. Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine adjustment to public speaking and mental arithmetic stressors. Psychophysiology. 1997;34(3):266–275. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1997.tb02397.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. al’Absi M, Buchanan T, Lovallo WR. Pain perception and cardiovascular responses in men with positive parental history for hypertension. Psychophysiology. 1996;33(6):655–661. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1996.tb02361.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. al’Absi M, Wittmers LE, Erickson J, Hatsukami D, Crouse B. Attenuated adrenocortical and blood pressure responses to psychological stress in ad libitum and abstinent smokers. Pharmacology Biocheistry and Behavior. 2003;74(2):401–410. doi: 10.1016/S0091-3057(02)01011-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiology & Behavior. 2007;91(4):449–458. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Appelhans BM, Pagoto SL, Peters EN, Spring BJ. HPA axis response to stress predicts short-term snack intake in obese women. Appetite. 2010;54(1):217–220. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2009.11.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types