Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30016385›Full record

ArticleAlcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire)2018

Identifying and Characterizing Subpopulations of Heavy Alcohol Drinkers Via a Sucrose Preference Test: A Sweet Road to a Better Phenotypic Characterization?

Sofia Bouhlal, Mehdi Farokhnia, Mary R Lee, Fatemeh Akhlaghi, Lorenzo Leggio

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Firewater, fructose and appetite.Nature metabolism · 2025
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  9. Mouse parasubthalamicbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sofia BouhlalSection on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Mehdi FarokhniaSection on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Mary R LeeSection on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Fatemeh AkhlaghiClinical Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
Lorenzo LeggioSection on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Funding

Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology (CPN)ZIAAA000218 · NIAAA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM · PI LEGGIO, LORENZO · 2013 to 2020
$22.8M
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsSweet preference in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been associated with family history of AUD and personality traits. Therefore, testing sweet preference may help identify subpopulations of AUD individuals. SHORT SUMMARY: Sweet preference has been associated with family history of AUD and personality traits. We compared heavy drinkers based on their sweet liker status and using two cutoffs. Our findings support the role of sweet preference in heavy drinkers and point to the importance of how sweet likers are defined.

methodsThis study aimed at describing and comparing heavy drinkers based on their sweet liker status, through demographic, neuroendocrine, inflammatory, behavioral and drinking characteristics. Participants rated the pleasantness and intensity of sucrose solutions (0.05, 0.10, 0.21, 0.42 and 0.83 M). Two cutoffs were used to identify likers versus dislikers: Grouping A likers preferred 0.83 M and Grouping B likers preferred 0.83 or 0.42 M; the rest were dislikers.

resultsSweet likers were 36% (n = 20) using Grouping A and 58.2% (n = 32) using Grouping B. Grouping B, but not Grouping A, sweet likers had higher BMI (P = 0.01). In Grouping B, sweet likers had higher plasma leptin and insulin concentrations and higher insulin resistance (P's < 0.05). C-reactive protein concentrations were higher in sweet likers in Grouping A (P = 0.0015) and at a trend level in Grouping B (P = 0.07). Grouping A sweet likers had higher alcohol craving (P = 0.0004). Sweet likers preferred spirits compared to nonspirits (wine and beer) across both grouping (P's < 0.05).

conclusionsThese results provide further support for the role of sweet liking phenotype in identifying subpopulations of AUD individuals. These findings also point to the importance of how sweet likers are defined, therefore highlighting the need for further research.

Indexed as

PhenotypePopulation SurveillanceAdultAlcohol DrinkingAlcoholismBiomarkersDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansInflammation MediatorsMaleMiddle AgedSucroseTasteTaste ThresholdBiomarkersInflammation MediatorsSucrose

Identifiers

PMID30016385
PMCPMC6104622

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.