4. Discussion
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the adapted version of the forced-choice paired-comparison tracking procedure could be used as a reliable and valid tool for determining salt taste preference, and to evaluate the effects of sleep on salt taste hedonic measures and function. The results from the methodology validation component of the study demonstrated that the adapted forced-choice paired-comparison tracking procedure could serve as a reliable and valid test to determine salt-taste preference when compared to conventional methods. The randomized cross-over trial demonstrated there were no significant changes in salt-taste function or hedonic measures after one night of curtailed sleep compared to one night of habitual sleep. However, the slope of liking was associated with energy-corrected Na intake, but only under the habitual sleep condition. These results suggest that the lack of associations between salt-taste measures and dietary intake reported by the current literature [