Food intake is influenced by sensory sensitivity

Wide availability of highly palatable foods is often blamed for the rising incidence of obesity. As palatability is largely determined by the sensory properties of food, this study investigated how sensitivity to these properties affects how much we eat. Forty females were classified as either high or low in sensory sensitivity based on their scores on a self-report measure of sensory processing (the Adult Sensory Profile), and their intake of chocolate during the experiment was measured. Food intake was significantly higher for high-sensitivity compared to low-sensitivity individuals. Furthermore, individual scores of sensory sensitivity were positively correlated with self-reported emotional eating. These data could indicate that individuals who are more sensitive to the sensory properties of food have a heightened perception of palatability, which, in turn, leads to a greater food intake.     

Food protein sources.

Work on food, planned by the U.M. (Use and Management) Section of the U.K. committe, was limited to sources of protein because we agreed that more problems calling for research were likely to arise in getting adequate supplies of protein than of other types of food. Deer meat can be produced on land too rough and exposed for sheep; parts of the work on their metabolism and food requirements necessitated building a mobile laboratory. The manner in which the nutritive value of maize is affected by changes in the ratios in which the component proteins are present, stimulated similar studies on barley and groundnut. There is good quality protein in coconuts and leaves but its use in human food is restricted by the presence of fibre. Methods for separating protein from fibre and other deleterious components were improved. In cooperation with scientists in India and Nigeria, the potential yield of protein-deficient foods. e.g. cassava, were 'ennobled' by growing micro-organisms on them with the addition of a cheap source of nitrogen.     

Mutagen sensitivity of Drosophila melanogaster. III. X-linked loci governing sensitivity to methyl methanesulfonate.

Summary Twenty-eight X-linked, recessive mutations of Drosophila melanogaster conferring enhanced sensitivity to the monofunctional alkylating agent, methyl methanesulfonate, have been recovered and assigned to five complementation groups. These groups can be distinguished on the basis of map location and variations in the pattern of mutagen sensitivity. Allelism of members of one complementation group with the previously described meiotic mutant, mei-41, (Baker and Carpenter, 1972) as well as the frequent appearance of female infertility with mutagen sensitivity suggests associated defects in meiotic chromosome behavior or early embryogenesis. Examination of the mutagen sensitivity of double mutants has led to the formulation of a working model of DNA repair for this organism. Studies of a similar nature (Boyd et al., 1976) have identified five additional X chromosome complementation groups, suggesting that the genome of Drosophila melanogaster may contain many loci involved with mutagen sensitivity. The continued isolation and characterization of conditional mutants of this type promises future insights into the mechanisms of DNA replication, DNA repair and recombination in this complex higher eucaryote.Supported by United States Public Health Service grants GM-20361 and ES-01101 and the Emory University Research CommitteeRecipient of United States Public Health Service Research Career Development Award GM-70758