TY - JOUR A1 - Tarragon, Ernesto A1 - Stein, Jakob A1 - Meyer, Jobst T1 - Basal levels of salivary alpha-Amylase are associated with preference for foods high in sugar and anthropometric markers of cardiovascular risk T2 - Behavioral Sciences N2 - Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) influences the perception of taste and texture, features both relevant in acquiring food liking and, with time, food preference. However, no studies have yet investigated the relationship between basal activity levels of sAA and food preference. We collected saliva from 57 volunteers (63% women) who we assessed in terms of their preference for different food items. These items were grouped into four categories according to their nutritional properties: high in starch, high in sugar, high glycaemic index, and high glycaemic load. Anthropometric markers of cardiovascular risk were also calculated. Our findings suggest that sAA influences food preference and body composition in women. Regression analysis showed that basal sAA activity is inversely associated with subjective but not self-reported behavioural preference for foods high in sugar. Additionally, sAA and subjective preference are associated with anthropometric markers of cardiovascular risk. We believe that this pilot study points to this enzyme as an interesting candidate to consider among the physiological factors that modulate eating behaviour. KW - salivary alpha-amylase KW - food preference KW - eating behaviour KW - body composition KW - glycaemic index KW - Speichel KW - Enzym KW - Zuckergehalt KW - Lebensmittel KW - Präferenz KW - Kardiovaskuläre Krankheit Y1 - 2018 UR - https://ubt.opus.hbz-nrw.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1046 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:385-1-10467 IS - 8 /10 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER -