The Plasticity of Taste Function Links the Appetitive Taste of Fats with Obesity
2015
Dando, Robin
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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