The sensitivity to sweet tastes varies among individuals. The Insular cortex is one of the regions that controls hedonic taste perception. The article focuses on the mechanisms that underlie this process and discusses the role of genetics in sweet sensitization. It also discusses the relationship between sensitivity to sweetness and food preferences.
Insular cortex
The Insular cortex is a region in the brain that stores information about the hedonic properties of food. This area has been linked to food cravings, and enhanced responsiveness in the Insular cortex may contribute to increased sensitivity to palatable foods. This area may also play a role in the shift toward high-fat foods, a risk factor for obesity. It has also been shown to predict food intake, which may indicate that this area plays a role in the decision-making process.
While insula lateralization has been shown to be common in most studies, the extent to which the two regions are involved in a sweet-tasting task remains unclear. A recent meta-analysis by Kelly et al. suggests that the left insula cortex is more likely to be involved in the process than the right insula cortex. This discrepancy may be due to a large number of different experimental designs and stimuli.
Mechanisms of hedonic taste perception
The current study attempts to confirm the literature results on the mechanisms underlying the hedonic taste perception in patients with anorexia nervosa. This was accomplished by examining the taste responses of female patients with AN and healthy controls. The participants were assessed for umami, sour, salty, and sweet tastes using four different assessment methods.
The study examined females’ responses to a series of suprathreshold sweet-tasting solutions, and measured the recognition threshold, intensity, and hedonic response. The experimenters used a 10-cm linear analogue scale, with 0 representing no taste and 10 representing the maximum taste intensity. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the taste sensations, from the most unpleasant to the least unpleasant to neutral. The results were recorded on a specially-designed assessment sheet.
Genetic differences in sensitivity to sweetness
A recent study found that genes responsible for sweetness perception vary among people. Specifically, a gene called the TAS1R3 is responsible for sweet taste perception, and it is also associated with umami taste perception. Researchers also found that two SNPs upstream of the TAS1R3 gene were associated with susceptibility to sucrose. They went on to study whether genetic variation in other genes could impact the sensitivity to sweet taste. Researchers found that the GNAT3 gene, which codes for the Ga subunit of taste cells, is also associated with sweet taste perception.
Researchers studied 144 people from three continents. They were grouped into Europeans, Asians, and Africans, and the researchers found that individuals from all three continents have varying levels of sensitivity to sweetness. The researchers measured sucrose sensitivity through sucrose solutions, and compared the results to the distribution of sweetness taste receptor genes worldwide. The findings could help food manufacturers understand the cultural differences in taste and food preferences, and could potentially lead to more targeted marketing.
Relationship between sensitivity to sweetness and food preference
We know that sensitivity to sweetness is closely related to the consumption of sweet foods. However, we don’t know if sensitivity to sweet foods influences the preference of other foods. Our individual sweetness sensitivity affects how our brain reacts to different food tastes and macronutrients. The higher the sensitivity, the more sweet foods we prefer. Additionally, our sensitivity to sweetness affects our neurobehavioral responses to different kinds of food odors.
A recent study found a relationship between sensitivity to sweetness and food preference. Among HS participants, those who had higher sensitivity to sweet odors were more likely to prefer sweet carbohydrate-dominated foods. They also responded more strongly to sweet odors than those from the LS group. In addition, HS participants had more neural activation in the insular region of the brain, which is involved in food reward processing. However, further studies are needed to understand the exact connection between enhanced brain responses and subsequent food intake.