Consumption of tobacco, nutrients and taste perception in students of nutrition, from Xalapa, Veracruz.

nutrients and perception in university students

Abstract

Introduction: The harmful effects of tobacco are well known and a smoker's diet is generally less balanced. University students live a critical period for the development of habits and lifestyles that will mark their future health. Objective: To determine the relationship between eating habits and taste perception in university students who use tobacco. Material and methods: Observational, descriptive, analytical and cross-sectional design in students of the Faculty of Nutrition of Universidad Veracruzana, in Xalapa. A validated questionnaire on lifestyle, eating habits and tobacco consumption was applied to 75 students of both sexes. Results: Active smokers were less frequent in our sample and experimental smokers had the highest prevalence compared to the other categories. All smokers showed carbohydrate intakes within the recommended daily values, in contrast to proteins, where 80% of smokers reported values ​​above 15%. Female students consumed less than 1,200 kilocalories at a higher proportion compared to their male counterparts. Up to 71% of the experimental population did not notice any change in the taste of food after quitting smoking, but the perception of flavors was tasteless and intense for some subjects. Discussion: Regarding caloric intake, the comparison of kilocalories greater than 1500 was significant for sex, which could indicate that females consume fewer kilocalories than males, and may be related to body mass (height), social pressure or even to the suppression of appetite, linked to the perception of the taste of food. Conclusions: Our results suggest that there are subtle but recognizable differences in prevalence by type of smoker, particularly in eating habits, and that it could cause some distortion in the perception of taste in university students.

Key words: nutrient intake, tobacco, university, and taste perception.