Fat taste in humans: Sources of within- and between-subject variability

Running, Cordelia A.; Mattes, Richard D.; Tucker, Robin M.

doi:10.1016/j.plipres.2013.04.007

Cited by 50 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Humans vary greatly in their oral fat detection (177). According to our present knowledge, it is tempting to hypothesize that this variability might influence the consumption of fatty foods: hyposensitive individuals consuming more fat in contrast to hypersensitive subjects.…”

Section: Lipid and Obesity: Also A Taste Story?mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…IIIA), this additive condition remains an outstanding issue which might hinder a formal conclusion that a taste of fat exists. Indeed, FFAs do not seem to impart an easily identifiable sensation in nontrained subjects (177). However, this is not entirely surprising given the physicochemical specificities of these nutrients.…”

Section: Perception Of a Specific Taste Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taste of Fat: A Sixth Taste Modality?

Besnard

Passilly-Degrace

Khan

2016

Physiological Reviews

203

170

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An attraction for palatable foods rich in lipids is shared by rodents and humans. Over the last decade, the mechanisms responsible for this specific eating behavior have been actively studied, and compelling evidence implicates a taste component in the orosensory detection of dietary lipids [i.e., long-chain fatty acids (LCFA)], in addition to textural, olfactory, and postingestive cues. The interactions between LCFA and specific receptors in taste bud cells (TBC) elicit physiological changes that affect both food intake and digestive functions. After a short overview of the gustatory pathway, this review brings together the key findings consistent with the existence of a sixth taste modality devoted to the perception of lipids. The main steps leading to this new paradigm (i.e., chemoreception of LCFA in TBC, cell signaling cascade, transfer of lipid signals throughout the gustatory nervous pathway, and their physiological consequences) will be critically analyzed. The limitations to this concept will also be discussed in the light of our current knowledge of the sense of taste. Finally, we will analyze the recent literature on obesity-related dysfunctions in the orosensory detection of lipids ("fatty" taste?), in relation to the overconsumption of fat-rich foods and the associated health risks.

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Section: Lipid and Obesity: Also A Taste Story?mentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Perception Of a Specific Taste Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Taste of Fat: A Sixth Taste Modality?

Besnard

Passilly-Degrace

Khan

2016

Physiological Reviews

203

170

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“…Most of the work conducted in this field has focused on taste thresholds for NEFA, and whether such thresholds correlate to other dietary or physical attributes or habits of humans (for reviews, see Passilly-Degrace et al, 2014 and. While data indicate there are mechanisms in humans to perceive these compounds as a "taste," human participants in the studies may be guessing frequently during the threshold tests, as published data indicate very large ranges of sensitivity to these compounds (Running & Mattes, 2014;Running, Mattes, & Tucker, 2013;Tucker, Edlinger, Craig, & Mattes, 2014;. With such a large range of potentially detectable concentrations, starting the test near the hypothesized threshold is difficult, and the required longer run length of the test will thus increase the chance of false positives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High false positive rates in common sensory threshold tests

Running

2014

Atten Percept Psychophys

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Large variability in thresholds to sensory stimuli is observed frequently even in healthy populations. Much of this variability is attributed to genetics and day-to-day fluctuation in sensitivity. However, false positives are also contributing to the variability seen in these tests. In this study, random number generation was used to simulate responses in threshold methods using different "stopping rules": ascending 2-alternative forced choice (AFC) with 5 correct responses; ascending 3-AFC with 3 or 4 correct responses; staircase 2-AFC with 1 incorrect up and 2 incorrect down, as well as 1 up 4 down and 5 or 7 reversals; staircase 3-AFC with 1 up 2 down and 5 or 7 reversals. Formulas are presented for rates of false positives in the ascending methods, and curves were generated for the staircase methods. Overall, the staircase methods generally had lower false positive rates, but these methods were influenced even more by number of presentations than ascending methods. Generally, the high rates of error in all these methods should encourage researchers to conduct multiple tests per individual and/or select a method that can correct for false positives, such as fitting a logistic curve to a range of responses.

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“…Conversely, hypersensitive individuals reported behaviours including trimming the fat off meat and avoiding saturated fats [38]. Additionally, various human studies have reported that participants who were classified as hypersensitive to fatty acids also had lower BMIs than hyposensitive individuals [9,38,39,41]; however, other studies have failed to find such associations [37,42]. It has also been reported that fatty acid sensitivity can be modulated by dietary fat, with a high-fat diet causing attenuation of fat taste thresholds in lean individuals, while a low-fat diet results in increased sensitivity to fatty acids [37].…”

Section: Relevance Of Fat Taste To Development Of Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Is fat the sixth taste primary? Evidence and implications

Keast

Costanzo

2015

Flavour

108

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Taste is the chemical sense responsible for the detection of non-volatile chemicals in potential foods. For fat to be considered as one of the taste primaries in humans, certain criteria must be met including class of affective stimuli, receptors specific for the class of stimuli on taste bud cells (TBC), afferent fibres from TBC to taste-processing regions of the brain, perception independent of other taste qualities and downstream physiological effects. The breakdown products of the macronutrients carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins (amino acids) are responsible for the activation of sweet and umami tastes, respectively. Following the same logic, the breakdown products of fat being fatty acids are the likely class of stimuli for fat taste. Indeed, psychophysical studies have confirmed that fatty acids of varying chain length and saturation are orally detectable by humans. The most likely fatty acid receptor candidates located on TBC are CD36 and G protein-coupled receptor 120. Once the receptors are activated by fatty acids, a series of transduction events occurs causing the release of neurotransmitters towards afferent fibres signalling the brain. Whether fatty acids elicit any direct perception independent of other taste qualities is still open to debate with only poorly defined perceptions for fatty acids reported. Others suggest that the fatty acid taste component is at detection threshold only and any perceptions are associated with either aroma or chemesthesis. It has also been established that oral exposure to fat via sham feeding stimulates increases in blood TAG concentrations in humans. Therefore, overall, with the exception of an independent perception, there is consistent emerging evidence that fat is the sixth taste primary. The implications of fatty acid taste go further into health and obesity research, with the gustatory detection of fats and their contributions to energy and fat intake receiving increasing attention. There appears to be a coordinated bodily response to fatty acids throughout the alimentary canal; those who are insensitive orally are also insensitive in the gastrointestinal tract and overconsume fatty food and energy. The likely mechanism linking fatty acid taste insensitivity with overweight and obesity is development of satiety after consumption of fatty foods. Keywords: Fat taste, Fatty acid, Obesity, Taste reception, ChemesthesisThe sense of tasteThe sense of taste presumably evolved to inform us about the nutritious or toxic value of potential foods. The primary organ responsible for the sense of taste is the tongue, which contains the biological machinery (taste receptors) to identify non-volatile chemicals in foods and non-foods we place in our mouth. Once a food enters the mouth, the tongue aids in the manipulation of the food, assisting breakdown and bolus formation before swallowing the food. During this critical period of food manipulation, the tongue is sampling chemicals in the food, and when food chemicals activate taste receptors, signals are sent from th...

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Fat taste in humans: Sources of within- and between-subject variability

Cited by 50 publications

References 96 publications

Taste of Fat: A Sixth Taste Modality?

Taste of Fat: A Sixth Taste Modality?

High false positive rates in common sensory threshold tests

Is fat the sixth taste primary? Evidence and implications

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