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Sunday, November 1, 2009

Effects of a Diagnosis or Family History of Alcoholism on the Taste Intensity and Hedonic Value of Sucrose


Given inconsistent findings in published studies, we examined whether a personal lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD) or a parental history of alcoholism affected preference for sweet solutions.

Ninety-three alcohol-dependent subjects rated the intensity and hedonic value of five different sucrose solutions, which was compared with similar data from 122 subjects screened to exclude alcohol dependence. The effect of a family history of alcoholism (FH) was examined in the AD group.

Neither the diagnosis of AD nor a family history of alcoholism was associated with ratings of sweetness intensity or sweet preference.

These findings do not support the hypothesis that sucrose preference is positively associated with either a personal lifetime history of AD or a family history of alcoholism.


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