Dataset Information

Profiling Individual Differences in Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Consumption: New Insights from a Large-Scale Study.

ABSTRACT: Alcoholic beverage consumption plays an important role in European culture, and in many contexts drinking alcohol is socially acceptable and considered part of the diet. Understanding the determinants of alcohol preference and consumption is important not only for disease prevention, intervention, and policy management, but also for market segmentation, product development, and optimization. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of individual responsiveness to various oral sensations on self-reported liking and intake of 14 alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (including beers, wines, spirits, and cocktails) considering gender, age, and oral responsiveness (measured through response to 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil -PROP, basic tastes, astringency, and pungency) in a large sample of Italian consumers. Data were collected from 2388 respondents (age range 18-60 years; mean age = 37.6, SD = 13.1; 58.2% women). These results indicate that notwithstanding the strong gender difference, with women generally liking and consuming fewer alcoholic beverages than men, liking patterns in the two genders were similar. Three liking patterns for different alcoholic beverages largely driven by orosensory properties were identified in both genders. "Spirit-lovers" constituted the smallest group (12%), consumed alcoholic beverages of any kind (not only spirits) more than the other segments, and were mainly men aged 30-45. "Beer/wine lovers" (44%) were the oldest group with no difference by gender. "Mild-drink lovers" (44%) liked alcoholic drinks with intense sweet taste and/or mixers that moderate ethanol perception. They were mainly women, aged 18-29, had a lower consumption of alcohol, and a higher orosensory responsiveness than the other two groups. The results also suggest the opportunity to develop personalized recommendations towards specific consumer segments based not only on socio-demographics but considering also perceptive variables. Finally, our data suggest that increased burning and bitterness from alcohol may act as a sensory hindrance to alcoholic beverage overconsumption.

SUBMITTER: Cravero MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7466201 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Profiling Individual Differences in Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Consumption: New Insights from a Large-Scale Study.

Cravero Maria Carla MC Laureati Monica M Spinelli Sara S Bonello Federica F Monteleone Erminio E Proserpio Cristina C Lottero Maria Rosa MR Pagliarini Ella E Dinnella Caterina C

Foods (Basel, Switzerland) 20200817 8

Alcoholic beverage consumption plays an important role in European culture, and in many contexts drinking alcohol is socially acceptable and considered part of the diet. Understanding the determinants of alcohol preference and consumption is important not only for disease prevention, intervention, and policy management, but also for market segmentation, product development, and optimization. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of individual responsiveness to various oral sensation ...[more]

PMID: 32824622

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Project description:Outbred rats display variable preferences for bittersweet solutions, expressed as preference or avoidance of high concentrations of artificial sweeteners over water. This may reflect individual differences in appetitive/aversive conflict processing that may have predictive validity for disorders of motivation. Here we use a homecage two-bottle choice procedure to examine the test/retest stability and between-tastant consistency in sucralose preference to determine the reliability of bittersweet taste preference. Sucralose is a non-caloric artificial sweetener that is preferred by some rats and avoided by others. We sought to determine whether sucralose preference is consistent with preference of sucrose/quinine solutions that have known sweet and bitter taste qualities, respectively. We give fluid restricted rats 45-minutes homecage access to water and ascending concentrations of sucralose (SUCRA; 0.0025-10mM) or a compound solution of sucrose (116mM) + quinine (0.002-2mM) (SQ). We use a within-subject counterbalanced design (SUCRA or SQ testing) to determine preference of each bittersweet solution relative to water. We observed individual variability in preference for SUCRA and SQ, such that some rats preferred bittersweet solutions over water (preferring) while other rats preferred water over bittersweet solutions (avoiding). Within tastant, this preference remained stable across repeated testing. Between solutions, SUCRA preference scores correlated with SQ scores, suggesting consistent taste conflict processing for both bittersweet solutions. Population level analyses confirmed that preference generalizes across bittersweet solutions, and that rats' preferences for bittersweet solutions relative to water are stable over time. The test/retest and between-tastant reliability of this taste conflict screening procedure support the potential utility of this model for exploring individual variability in appetitive/aversive conflict processes mediating motivated behavior.

Project description:BackgroundWhite, compared with Black, adolescents have higher rates of alcohol use and show more rapid increases in alcohol use. Racial differences in type of alcohol beverage (i.e., beer, wine, and liquor) consumed by youth have received scant attention, and little is known regarding changes in type of alcohol beverage consumed during adolescence, when experimentation may transition to more regular use.MethodsThis study used repeated measures latent class analysis to identify distinct profiles that represent change in type of alcohol beverage consumed across ages 11 to 18 and to examine predictors (e.g., caretaker alcohol use, perceived peer alcohol use, ease in accessing alcohol, perceived neighborhood risk indicated by witnessing drug dealing), most of which were measured at ages 11 to 12, of alcohol use profiles in the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n = 2,171; 57% Black, 43% White), a community sample with annual follow-ups.ResultsAmong Black girls, 2 profiles were identified: Low Use (76%), and Alcohol Use involving primarily liquor starting around age 15 (24%). Among White girls, 4 profiles were identified: Wine sippers (11%); a Low Use profile with low probability of drinking until age 18, when use of beer and liquor increased (52%); an Increasing Use profile with increased probability of drinking beer and liquor starting at age 15 (23%); and a High Alcohol Use profile, starting with use of wine, then shifting to use primarily of beer and liquor after age 13 (14%). Separate risk factor analyses conducted by race indicated similar predictors for Black and White girls: perceived ease in accessing alcohol, witnessing neighborhood drug dealing, and perceived peer alcohol use were each associated with heavier drinking profiles.ConclusionsLongitudinal profiles of type of alcoholic beverages, within and across racial groups, can guide the tailoring of interventions to address developmentally salient turning points in alcohol use for specific subgroups of girls.

Dataset Information

Profiling Individual Differences in Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Consumption: New Insights from a Large-Scale Study.

Publications

Profiling Individual Differences in Alcoholic Beverage Preference and Consumption: New Insights from a Large-Scale Study.

Similar Datasets

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