Comparing the sensory acuity of diabetes and non-diabetes populations
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comparison of diabetes and non-diabetes population’ sensitivity to oral stimuli and food choice behaviour
IRAS ID
208166
Contact name
Gary Adams
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
The diabetes population report altered oral perception of food which they feel impacts on their dietary habits, wellbeing and general enjoyment of food. Non-adherence to an appropriate diet is a major contributor to the £24 billion (and rising) of diabetes related spending for the NHS. Better understanding of sensory perception in the diabetes population would allow provision of tailored enjoyable diets, improvement of diet adherence and a reduction in NHS costs. No research data is available on sensory perception in the diabetes population. In this project we will evaluate the sensory response of the diabetes population (recruited from Diabetes Clinics at the Queens Medical Centre) to a range of food grade stimuli and their food choice behaviours. This data will be compared with data the Sensory Science Centre holds on perception for non-diabetes populations. There are other factors that affect taste sensitivity including PROP and Thermal taster status which must be accounted for in sensory sensitivity comparisons. This data is already on record for the non-diabetes subjects and will be collected for those subjects with diabetes volunteering to participate. Some subjects will be invited to a focus group to discuss the nature of their altered tastes and explain how it affects their dietary choices. Focus groups will consist of a maximum of 5-10 participants per group. Focus groups will take place at Queen’s Medical Centre at a pre-designated location and will be led by an experienced researcher.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0523
Date of REC Opinion
30 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion