Taste Perception, Associated Hormonal Modulation, and Nutrient Intake

Overview

Journal Nutr Rev

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2015 May 30

PMID 26024495

Citations 45

Authors

Hillary B Loper

Michael La Sala

Cedrick Dotson

Nanette Steinle

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

It is well known that taste perception influences food intake. After ingestion, gustatory receptors relay sensory signals to the brain, which segregates, evaluates, and distinguishes the stimuli, leading to the experience known as "flavor." It is well accepted that five taste qualities – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami – can be perceived by animals. In this review, the anatomy and physiology of human taste buds, the hormonal modulation of taste function, the importance of genetic chemosensory variation, and the influence of gustatory functioning on macronutrient selection and eating behavior are discussed. Individual genotypic variation results in specific phenotypes of food preference and nutrient intake. Understanding the role of taste in food selection and ingestive behavior is important for expanding our understanding of the factors involved in body weight maintenance and the risk of chronic diseases including obesity, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, and hypertension.

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