Introduction Exercise tends to reduce subsequent meal intake, but mechanisms are still unclear. Interestingly, exercise seems to influence taste, which plays a role in energy intake. The effect of exercise on specific tastes is still to be elucidated, especially among younger participants who train at high intensity. Methods Adolescents (14-16 years old) were recruited from a high school boys hockey team. Distinct taste tests were administered using low and high concentrations of sweet (sucrose 41.0 & 82.0 g/L), salty (sodium chloride 8.7 & 17.4 g/L) and bitter (caffeine 5.0 & 10.0 g/L) solutions before and after a 30 min aerobic high-intensity exercise session (70-90% of estimated maximal heart rate). McNemmar's tests, standard paired T tests, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Cohen's d effect size tests were used to analyze the data. Results Participants (n=19) were 14.7+/-0.7 years old, weighed 59.6+/-7.8kg, had a height of 173.4+/-7.9cm, and a bodyfat% of 11.6+/-3.1%. There were no significant differences in taste identification capacities. Participants (n=19) perceived as more intense (+31%, p=0.037) and appreciated better the low concentration sweet solution (+20%, p=0.004). Taste appreciation was also increased for the high concentration sweet solution (+15%, p=0.009). Effect sizes were medium [0.516-0.776]. Conclusion High-intensity exercise influenced the perception of sweet taste. If higher taste intensity and appreciation of sweet can reduce energy intake, our results could help explain the effect of exercise on lowering subsequent energy intake. Keywords : physical exercise; taste perceptions; gustative perceptions; nutrition

The authors have declared no competing interest.

ME Mathieu holds a Canada Research Chair tier 2 on Physical activity and juvenile obesity that helped finance the project.

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This research project was conducted at the Universite de Montreal, precisely at the CEPSUM, and was approved by the ethics committee of health sciences (CERES) of the Universite de Montreal (# 2021-392).

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