Salty and sour taste characteristics and risk of alcoholism.

Background: This study examined gustatory measures (intensity and hedonic values of salt and citric acid solutions) that have been reported to differentiate nonalcoholics who are at risk of alcoholism by virtue of having an alcoholic father (PHP) from those with no such paternal history (PHN). The study tested the hypothesis that PHPs perceive salty and sour solutions to be more intense and less pleasurable than do PHNs. Methods: A total of 112 nonalcoholic subjects (44.7% male and 40.2% PHP) provided intensity and pleasantness ratings for a series of salty and sour solutions in varying concentrations. Results: PHP subjects rated salty solutions as more unpleasant than PHN subjects. PHP subjects also showed higher mean sour intensity ratings and less preference for sour solutions than PHN subjects. Conclusions: This study replicates and extends prior findings of salty and sour taste differences as a function of paternal history of alcoholism. Further research is needed to replicate these findings in other populations and to examine their implications for the transmission of alcoholism risk.