Abstract
Introduction
Obesity is rapidly becoming one of the most important medical issues of our time. The effects of obesity are broad and complex. As obesity is fundamentally associated with the foods that we eat, recent interest has arisen into the possibility that our taste buds may be in some way affected by metabolic influences arising from a state of obesity. Obesity does in fact engender a number of changes on the taste system. Many studies suggest that taste is weakened in the obese, particularly the taste for dietary fats. This in some senses is confounded by the broad and inherent genetic variation in taste; however, evidence is growing to support this hypothesis. A limited causal linkage establishes whether obesity causes taste impairment, or vice versa.
Methods
Invited review
Results
I present a review of selected studies, in both animal models and in human psychophysics, that underpin our knowledge to this point, and present thoughts for directions of future study.
Conclusions
The consumption of fats, and the establishment of obesity, can influence taste response.
Implications
Our sense of taste is fundamentally plastic, and thus may contribute to obesity.
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Implications
The energy density of a stimulus high in fats is deduced by the nascent sixth basic taste, for fatty acids. However, an individual regularly consuming a diet high in such fats will soon become obese, a condition found to effect taste transduction profoundly.
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Dando, R. The Plasticity of Taste Function Links the Appetitive Taste of Fats with Obesity. Chem. Percept. 8, 53–60 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-015-9187-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-015-9187-6