Taste of Things to Come - Craving Responses to Ingestion of and Mouth Rinse with a Sugary Drink in Connection with Food Cues and Associations with Continuous Interstitial Glucose Measurement in a Healthy Population

Sep 30, 2026

Food cravings are common with highly palatable, sugar- and/or fat-rich foods, and cue-induced craving is linked to eating disorders and obesity. Food cues can strongly trigger craving, and sweet taste signalling may regulate appetite through sensory–metabolic mismatch. This randomised crossover study examined how taste and food cues interact with craving in healthy individuals after ingesting a sugary drink versus rinsing with it, using craving measures and continuous interstitial glucose monitoring plus leptin sampling.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Definitions and cognitive models of craving

Cue reactivity and physiological/emotional moderators

Physiological mechanisms linked to craving reduction

Ambiguity of taste/flavour in appetite and satiety

Article Taste of Things to Come: Craving Responses to Ingestion of and Mouth Rinse with a Sugary Drink in Connection with Food Cuesand Associations with Continuous Interstitial Glucose Measurement in a Healthy Population Abdelbare Al Gamode 1,2, Rohi Brigid Malik 1, Joe Butler 3 and Hans-Peter Kubis 1, * Academic Editor: Marilyn Cornelis Received: 21 November 2025 Revised: 17 December 2025 Accepted: 24 December 2025 Published: 5 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2PZ, UK; [a.algamode@yahoo.com](a.algamode@yahoo.com) (A.A.G.); [rohi.malik@doctors.org.uk](rohi.malik@doctors.org.uk) (R.B.M.) 2 Faculty of Medical Technology, University of Zawia, Zawia 16418, Libya 3 School of Psychology, Sunderland University, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK; [joe.butler@sunderland.ac.uk](joe.butler@sunderland.ac.uk) * [Correspondence: h.kubis@bangor.ac.uk](Correspondence: h.kubis@bangor.ac.uk) Abstract Background/Objectives: Food cravings are common with high-palatability foods that are high in sugar and/or fat. Food cues can strongly induce food craving, and heightened food cue reactivity is associated with eating disorders and obesity. Sweet taste signalling is suggested to be an important regulator of appetite and food intake, with sensory-metabolic mismatch potentially relevant for the food craving experience. This study investigated the interaction between taste and food cues and food craving in healthy people with and without ingestion of a sugary drink. Methods: This study had a randomised crossover design with 47 healthy individuals who participated in two experimental trials. Fasted individuals were exposed to food cues, and food craving pre-and post-exposure was measured via a newly validated method using handgrip force as a response modality. This was followed either by ingestion (ingestion trial) or mouth rinse (mouth rinse trial) of a sugary drink and reassessment of food cue craving responses. Continuous interstitial glucose monitoring was performed using a glucose sensor inserted into the upper arm, and a blood sample for leptin levels was taken. Results: A strong food craving response to food cues was bound to the fasted state, while ingestion of a sugary drink blunted food cue reactivity and reduced craving levels. Mouth rinse induced a stable increase in food craving, which reached a maximum after food cues. Interstitial glucose levels over the after-trial periods (incremental area under the curve, iAUC) were significantly higher for the rinse trial day than for the ingestion trial day, which may suggest higher carbohydrate/sugar intake after the rinse trial, while craving levels were associated with iAUC in the rinse trial. Conclusions: Outcomes indicate that taste/flavour in connection with food cues may generate an error signal experienced as food craving, whereas receipt of sugars, with concomitant physiological responses, reduces the signal and diminishes food craving. These results highlight the importance of sensory-metabolic mismatch in the food craving experience. Keywords: food craving; food cues; taste; glucose; sugar; leptin; mouth rinse; soft drink; food intake 1. Introduction Food craving may be defined as an intense desire or urge towards the consumption of a specific food type, unlike the physiological state of hunger [1,2] . Food craving encompasses various experiences, which include strong urges for seeking and consumption of food, intrusive thoughts and imagery of foods, perception of poor self-control for food consumption, and anticipation of positive and/or negative reinforcement when food is consumed [3–5] . Tiffany’s cognitive model of drug use and craving [6] proposed that cravings are based on automatic learned action schemata,

FAQs

What was the main aim of the study?

To investigate how taste and food cues influence food craving in healthy people, comparing ingestion of a sugary drink with a mouth-rinse condition.

How were food cue exposure and craving responses measured?

Participants underwent two experimental trials with fasting and exposure to food cues, and craving before and after exposure was measured using a validated handgrip force method.

What did ingestion and mouth rinse do to craving levels and glucose measures?

Ingestion of a sugary drink blunted food cue reactivity and reduced craving, whereas mouth rinse increased craving to a maximum after food cues; interstitial glucose iAUC was higher after the rinse trial day than the ingestion trial day.

Sep 30, 2026

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