A clinical note on food preference of individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome: the need for empirical research.

The results have important heuristic value for several reasons. First, they indicate that contrary to popular belief, individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome do indicate a definite and, in fact, consistent food preference. Further, the degree of food preference seems to be related to the level of cognitive ability. Finally, these subjects consistently chose a lesser amount of preferred food over a greater amount of non-preferred food. This finding has many potential implications for contingent dietary management. These results which are contradictory to many reported observations, also indicate the importance of collecting objective data regarding the eating behaviour of this population.