Researchers Dr Russell Keast and PhD student Jessica Stewart,
working with colleagues at the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and
Massey University (New Zealand), found that slim people may have greater sensitivity to the taste of fat than overweight people. The results of their research are published
in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.
Tuesday, 09 March 2010
University of Melbourne
We know of five tastes that humans can detect – but this research shows that there
is a sixth; fat.
Deakin researchers Dr Russell Keast and PhD student Jessica Stewart,
working with colleagues at the University of Adelaide, CSIRO, and
Massey University (New Zealand), have found that humans can detect a
sixth taste – fat. They also found that people with a high sensitivity
to the taste of fat tended to eat less fatty foods and were less
likely to be overweight. The results of their research are published
in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.
“Our findings build on previous research in the United States that
used animal models to discover fat taste,” Dr Keast said.
“We know that the human tongue can detect five tastes – sweet, salt,
sour, bitter and umami (a taste for identifying protein rich foods).
Through our study we can conclude that humans have a sixth taste -
fat.”
The research team developed a screening procedure to test the ability
of people to taste a range of fatty acids commonly found in foods.
They found that people have a taste threshold for fat and that these
thresholds vary from person to person; some people have a high
sensitivity to the taste while others do not.
“Interestingly, we also found that those with a high sensitivity to
the taste of fat consumed less fatty foods and had lower BMIs than
those with lower sensitivity,” Dr Keast said.
“With fats being easily accessible and commonly consumed in diets
today, this suggests that our taste system may become desensitised to
the taste of fat over time, leaving some people more susceptible to
overeating fatty foods.
“We are now interested in understanding why some people are sensitive
and others are not, which we believe will lead to ways of helping
people lower their fat intakes and aide development of new low fat
foods and diets.”
Tags: Obesity, Weight Loss