SCIENCE@home

Does vaping affect the taste and smell perception? An exploratory study with New Zealand young adults.

Jessica C. McCormack,Elizabeth Agbor Epse Muluh,Yunfan Mo,Stephanie McLeod,Samantha Turner,Dhirendra S. Ghelot,Hannah Browne,Chris Bullen,M. Peng

Published 2024 in Appetite

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE The study aimed to assess potential effects of vaping on individual taste and smell perception in a sample of young adult New Zealanders. DESIGN This cross-sectional study measured taste and smell perception using intensity and hedonic ratings to two olfactory (i.e., vanillin, methional) and two gustatory stimuli (i.e., sucrose, monosodium glutamate), representing sweet and savoury flavours. Detection sensitivities to sucrose and vanillin were also assessed using a forced choice detection paradigm aligned with the signal detection framework. MANCOVAs were employed to compare sensory perception between groups based on vaping use frequency. Additional regression analyses were conducted to identify potential predictors of intensity and hedonic sensory ratings. SETTING Participants were recruited from the University of Otago student population and surrounding neighbourhoods of Dunedin, New Zealand in 2023. PARTICIPANTS The study included 213 university students (98 vapers and 115 non-vapers) RESULTS: We found a significant difference between hedonic ratings for vanillin, with greater liking reported in non-vapers, but no other differences were significant. The use of tobacco and mint flavours were significant predictors for liking savoury smell and sweet taste, respectively. No significant differences were observed between groups in the ability to detect weak stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that vape use, particularly with certain flavours, may be associated with changes in hedonic liking of smells. This finding may have potential implications for vaping effects on food preferences and dietary choices.

PUBLICATION RECORD

CITATION MAP

EXTRACTION MAP

CLAIMS

  • No claims are published for this paper.

CONCEPTS

  • No concepts are published for this paper.

REFERENCES

Showing 1-52 of 52 references · Page 1 of 1

CITED BY