The role of an individual's olfactory discriminability in influencing snacking and habitual energy intake

Recent studies have revealed close links between human olfaction, appetite, and food choice. However, it remains unclear whether olfactory sensitivity plays a direct role in determining food and energy intake. The present study addresses this question by assessing relationships between individual olfactory discriminability (at a suprathreshold level), snacking, and habitual energy intake. A total of 92 healthy Caucasian males (mean age = 26.1, SD = 5.8) were tested for their olfactory discriminability (measured by d') to three food-related odorants (O1 - Vanillin, O2 - Methional, and O3 - Maltol/Furaneol mixture) with a 2-AFC method of constant stimuli. These sensory data were then analysed with two separate measures of food consumption - (1) snack energy intake within an ad libitum buffet setting; (2) habitual energy intake using four-day weighed food records. Univariate analyses of variance revealed significant results with regards to O1. Specifically, individuals with higher discriminability consumed significantly less energy from snacking as opposed to their less sensitive counterparts (p = 0.05). However, no significant relationship was found between individual olfactory discriminability and habitual energy intake. While recent years have seen increasing research focus on how external olfactory cues affect food consumption, our study offers particularly novel insights regarding the role of individual olfactory sensitivity in shaping eating behaviour.