The evaluation of appetitive odours: Exploring the role of weight status and level of satiation (360G-Wellcome-211883_Z_18_Z)

In the context of a global obesity epidemic, factors that may contribute to the overconsumption of energy are critical to understand. Olfaction is likely to play a key role in our evaluation of foods, particularly in identifying sources of energy (high calorie items), but this is currently under-explored. The risk profile for obesity includes greater hedonic responsiveness to food cues such as odours and a lack of diminished motivation to acquire foods even when full. This project will investigate how high calorie and low calorie pleasant food odours may be evaluated differently across healthy weight and obese individuals in either a hungry and sated condition, and if general reward sensitivity or specific tendency to reward-driven eating moderate this effect. The key goals of this project are two-fold. Firstly, the intention is to provide the student with skills and experiences that will support her appetite research career goals. Secondly, to answer the following research questions: Do high calorie odours elicit increased desire to eat relative to low calorie odours? Are weight status (NW v OW/OB) and hunger state (hungry v sated) differences apparent in appetitive responses to food odours? Does general reward sensitivity or tendency to reward-driven eating moderate these effects?