ObesityHumanFATasteNCT02497274
Obesity and Lipids: a Matter of Taste?
A study testing taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy in people with Obesity, run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
The purpose of the protocol is to determine the impact of bariatric surgery on taste receptors and taste perceptions and to precise the factors implicated in taste alterations in 50 obese patients before and 6 months after bariatric surgery (25 Roux Y gastric bypass and 25 sleeve gastrectomy). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 55 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity
- What is being tested?
- taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 11 Jan 2016to Jan 2019
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 55 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Affiliation to a health insurance
- Patients candidates for bariatric surgery based on criteria established by international experts (BMI> 40 or> 35 kg / m² with severe comorbidities, after failure of multidisciplinary care for a period of at least 1 year)
- Written consent after oral and written informations
Who cannot join
- Topic guardianship, curatorship or safeguard justice.
- Taking a treatment known to alter the perception of taste
- Oral Decay can affect the perception of taste
- Treatment that may interfere with intestinal peptides or lipids receptors (especially DDP4 inhibitors, anti-inflammatory medications, intestinal lipase inhibitors: Xenical)
- Tobacco use, alcohol or drugs abuse
- Known coagulopathy, abnormal hemostasis tests or abnormal platelets count, treatment interfering with coagulation or platelet aggregation
Show all 10Show fewer
- Contraindication to bariatric surgery
- Malignant pathology, severe liver disease or severe inflammatory disease, malabsorption.
- Pregnancy
- Positive serology for VIH, VBH and CVH
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Obesity and Lipids: a Matter of Taste? Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Taste Receptors
The purpose of the protocol is to determine the impact of bariatric surgery on taste receptors and taste perceptions and to precise the factors implicated in taste alterations in 50 obese patients before and 6 months after bariatric surgery (25 Roux Y gastric bypass and 25 sleeve gastrectomy).
Read the detailed description
Over-consumption high sugar and high fat foods was identified as a main risk factor for obesity. The recent identification of lipid-receptor (CD36, GPR120) in human taste buds suggests that lipids could be perceived not only by their texture and their olfactory characteristics, but also by way of taste. Obese subjects tend to consume more high fat foods than lean subjects. Conversely, bariatric surgery induces behavioral changes limiting the consumption of foods high in sugar and fat. The mechanisms underlying these behavioral changes are not understood. Does obesity is accompanied by a distortion of taste detection of dietary lipids? What are the mechanisms involved? Are they reversible? What could be the effect on food choices and health? This protocol is part of a broader research program that aims to answer these questions by studying the feeding behavior in obese subjects and animals before and after a bariatric surgery.
The purpose of the protocol is to determine the impact of bariatric surgery on the expression of taste receptors and taste perceptions and in particular the threshold of perception of fat (and sweet as taste as reference) and to study the association between the changes of taste perceptions and food preferences, amount of weight loss, surgical technique (with or without intestinal bypass), hormonal, metabolic and inflammatory changes, and modification of the oral microbiota. The study will included 50 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, either Roux Y gastric bypass (25 patients) or sleeve gastrectomy (25 patients) that will be explored in the two months before and six months after surgery. These explorations will included a clinical examination with collection of anthropometric data, a body fat determination by impedance, a detailed dietary survey, blood samples for assessment of hormonal parameters (GLP1 , PYY, ghrelin, insulin, leptin) and inflammatory parameters (LPS, TNFalpha, IL-1, IL-6, ...), a tong micro-biopsy to collect taste buds and a sample of oral microbiota and lipids and sugars thresholds determination (linoleic acid or sucrose).
- Conditions
- Obesity
- Being tested
- taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy
- Keywords
- bariatric surgery, taste perception, lipid receptors
- Medical subject headings
- Obesity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsyOther
assessment of taste perceptions and expression of taste receptors before and after bariatric surgery and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Roux Y gastric bypass | Experimental | candidates for bariatric surgery by Roux Y gastric bypass with taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy Receives: Other: taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy |
| Sleeve gastrectomy | Experimental | candidates for bariatric surgery by sleeve gastrectomy with taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy Receives: Other: taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Expression of lipid receptors
To compare the expression of lipid receptors expressed in the taste buds before and after a significant weight loss induced by bariatric surgery
Measured: before and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Secondary outcomes (1)
Lipids thresholds
To determine the relationship between taste receptor expression and changes in lipid and sugar perception thresholds before and after surgery
Measured: before and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted14 Jul 2015 (estimated)
- Study start11 Jan 2016
- Primary completionJan 2019
- Study completionJan 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for ObesityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, FranceThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Séverine Ledoux, Principal investigator, APHP-INSERM
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02497274
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- C14-77
- Other IDs
- 2015-A00906-43
- Acronym
- HumanFATaste
- Status last verified
- Aug 2021
- First submitted
- 8 Jul 2015
- Last updated
- 5 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Bernard A, Le Beyec-Le Bihan J, Radoi L, Coupaye M, Sami O, Casanova N, Le May C, Collet X, Delaby P, Le Bourgot C, Besnard P, Ledoux S. Orosensory Perception of Fat/Sweet Stimuli and Appetite-Regulating Peptides before and after Sleeve Gastrectomy or Gastric Bypass in Adult Women with Obesity. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 8;13(3):878. doi: 10.3390/nu13030878.
PubMed 33800516Bernard A, Richard C, Radoi L, Boidot R, Ledoux S, Besnard P. Fat taste sensitivity in women with obesity: transcriptomic analysis of fungiform papillae before and after bariatric surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Aug;33(8):1518-1528. doi: 10.1002/oby.24325. Epub 2025 Jun 22.
PubMed 40545805Bernard A, Radoi L, Christensen J, Servant F, Blasco-Blaque V, Ledoux S, Collet X, Besnard P. A specific tongue microbiota signature is found in patients displaying an improvement of orosensory lipid perception after a sleeve gastrectomy. Front Nutr. 2023 Jan 11;9:1046454. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1046454. eCollection 2022.
PubMed 36712531
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Obesity and Lipids: a Matter of Taste? Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Taste Receptors
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02497274
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HumanFATaste / C14-77
- Conditions
- Obesity
- Keywords
- bariatric surgery, taste perception, lipid receptors
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, FranceOther government
- Study start
- 11 Jan 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jan 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jan 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 14 Jul 2015 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of the protocol is to determine the impact of bariatric surgery on taste receptors and taste perceptions and to precise the factors implicated in taste alterations in 50 obese patients before and 6 months after bariatric surgery (25 Roux Y gastric bypass and 25 sleeve gastrectomy).
Detailed description
Over-consumption high sugar and high fat foods was identified as a main risk factor for obesity. The recent identification of lipid-receptor (CD36, GPR120) in human taste buds suggests that lipids could be perceived not only by their texture and their olfactory characteristics, but also by way of taste. Obese subjects tend to consume more high fat foods than lean subjects. Conversely, bariatric surgery induces behavioral changes limiting the consumption of foods high in sugar and fat. The mechanisms underlying these behavioral changes are not understood. Does obesity is accompanied by a distortion of taste detection of dietary lipids? What are the mechanisms involved? Are they reversible? What could be the effect on food choices and health? This protocol is part of a broader research program that aims to answer these questions by studying the feeding behavior in obese subjects and animals before and after a bariatric surgery.
The purpose of the protocol is to determine the impact of bariatric surgery on the expression of taste receptors and taste perceptions and in particular the threshold of perception of fat (and sweet as taste as reference) and to study the association between the changes of taste perceptions and food preferences, amount of weight loss, surgical technique (with or without intestinal bypass), hormonal, metabolic and inflammatory changes, and modification of the oral microbiota. The study will included 50 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, either Roux Y gastric bypass (25 patients) or sleeve gastrectomy (25 patients) that will be explored in the two months before and six months after surgery. These explorations will included a clinical examination with collection of anthropometric data, a body fat determination by impedance, a detailed dietary survey, blood samples for assessment of hormonal parameters (GLP1 , PYY, ghrelin, insulin, leptin) and inflammatory parameters (LPS, TNFalpha, IL-1, IL-6, ...), a tong micro-biopsy to collect taste buds and a sample of oral microbiota and lipids and sugars thresholds determination (linoleic acid or sucrose).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Roux Y gastric bypass | Experimental | Other: taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsycandidates for bariatric surgery by Roux Y gastric bypass with taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy |
| Sleeve gastrectomy | Experimental | Other: taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsycandidates for bariatric surgery by sleeve gastrectomy with taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 55 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Affiliation to a health insurance
- Patients candidates for bariatric surgery based on criteria established by international experts (BMI> 40 or> 35 kg / m² with severe comorbidities, after failure of multidisciplinary care for a period of at least 1 year)
- Written consent after oral and written informations
Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Topic guardianship, curatorship or safeguard justice.
- Taking a treatment known to alter the perception of taste
- Oral Decay can affect the perception of taste
- Treatment that may interfere with intestinal peptides or lipids receptors (especially DDP4 inhibitors, anti-inflammatory medications, intestinal lipase inhibitors: Xenical)
- Tobacco use, alcohol or drugs abuse
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsyassessment of taste perceptions and expression of taste receptors before and after bariatric surgery and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy | Other | Roux Y gastric bypass, Sleeve gastrectomy |
Primary outcome
Expression of lipid receptors
Time frame: before and 6 months after bariatric surgery
To compare the expression of lipid receptors expressed in the taste buds before and after a significant weight loss induced by bariatric surgery
1 secondary outcome
Lipids thresholds
Time frame: before and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 Jun 2026.
- Results publication: PubMed 33800516Bernard A, Le Beyec-Le Bihan J, Radoi L, Coupaye M, Sami O, Casanova N, Le May C, Collet X, Delaby P, Le Bourgot C, Besnard P, Ledoux S. Orosensory Perception of Fat/Sweet Stimuli and Appetite-Regulating Peptides before and after Sleeve Gastrectomy or Gastric Bypass in Adult Women with Obesity. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 8;13(3):878. doi: 10.3390/nu13030878.
- Results publication: PubMed 40545805Bernard A, Richard C, Radoi L, Boidot R, Ledoux S, Besnard P. Fat taste sensitivity in women with obesity: transcriptomic analysis of fungiform papillae before and after bariatric surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Aug;33(8):1518-1528. doi: 10.1002/oby.24325. Epub 2025 Jun 22.
- Results publication: PubMed 36712531Bernard A, Radoi L, Christensen J, Servant F, Blasco-Blaque V, Ledoux S, Collet X, Besnard P. A specific tongue microbiota signature is found in patients displaying an improvement of orosensory lipid perception after a sleeve gastrectomy. Front Nutr. 2023 Jan 11;9:1046454. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1046454. eCollection 2022.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Séverine Ledoux principal investigator
APHP-INSERM
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing taste assessment and epithelium gustatory smear and biopsy in people with Obesity, run by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France at 1 site in France.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Expression of lipid receptors (time frame: before and 6 months after bariatric surgery). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02497274, which also lists 3 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Jun 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.