Why do we prefer certain foods over others? A new study from Virginia Tech suggests the answer may lie less in body weight and more in how well we regulate blood sugar.
Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC studied flavor–nutrient learning, the process by which our gut “teaches” the brain to prefer foods that deliver calories. In animal studies, these post-meal gut signals are essential for forming food preferences, but evidence in humans has been harder to pin down.
To test it, 26 volunteers were introduced to unusual flavors such as acerola, bilberry and horchata. Participants consumed sweetened drinks paired either with calories or without them, then later tasted calorie-free versions. As expected, many people came to prefer the flavor previously paired with calories, even when the calories were no longer present, showing the influence of gut-to-brain signaling.
But the effect wasn’t consistent. Those with higher fasting glucose or HbA1C levels, even within the normal range, were less likely to develop these calorie-driven flavor preferences. In contrast, measures of body weight, such as BMI or waist circumference, were not linked to the results.
“One of the most interesting findings was that measures of body weight status — body-mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference — were not related to individual responses,” said first author Mary Elizabeth Baugh. “With higher values of glycemic control, even within the normal range, there could potentially be some disruption in gut-brain signaling.”
Study leader Alexandra DiFeliceantonio added that the findings may explain why nutrition strategies often work differently for different people.
“If it’s different, we should be using different targeted strategies to help them change their diet,” she said.
The researchers emphasize that this was a small study, and more work is needed. But the results suggest that blood sugar regulation may shape food choice in subtle ways, even for people who aren’t overweight or diabetic.
“Ultimately, understanding the mechanisms that influence food choice and eating behaviors can be really impactful in developing different pharmacological or behavioral strategies for obesity treatment — and even prevention,” Baugh said.
The study appears in Physiology & Behavior and was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.