People on diets should be forgiven for moaning that chocolate tastes better when you're hungry. Just missing breakfast makes you more sensitive to sweet and salty tastes, according to research to be published next week in BMC Neuroscience.
Hunger could increase your ability to taste, by increasing the sensitivity of the taste receptors on your tongue, or by changing the way you perceive the same taste stimuli, the author suggests.
Professor Zverev from the University of Malawi persuaded 16 male undergraduates to forgo breakfast, having eaten a set dinner at 6.30 the previous evening. He then asked the students to sip sugar, salt or quinine solutions of different concentrations, and let him know when they thought they were tasting sweet, salty or bitter drinks. One hour after lunch, the volunteers repeated the taste tests.
When they were hungry, the students were more sensitive to the presence of sugar and salt in the drinks. Having an empty stomach did not change the volunteers' ability to recognise bitterness.
Professor Zverev suspects that this difference is due to the different roles that the tastes play: "While sweet and salty tastes are indicators of edible substances and trigger consumption, a bitter taste indicates a substance which is not suitable for consumption and should be rejected."
The importance of recognising bitter solutions, in case they are toxic, could also explain why relatively dilute solutions of quinine were recognised as being bitter. Salt or sugar solutions had to be more concentrated before the students could taste them as being salty or sweet.
The students were asked not to swallow the drinks, in case this eased their hunger. Instead they spat them out after tasting, and rinsed their mouth with water in between each test.
None of the volunteers were smokers or drinkers; they all had good oral hygiene and were of normal weight. These factors have already been shown to alter the ability to taste.
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This release is based on the following article:
Effects of caloric deprivation and satiety on sensitivity of the gustatory system YP ZverevBMC Neuroscience, 2004 5:5To be published 23rd February 2004
When published this article will be available free of charge, according to BMC Neuroscience's Open access policy at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/5/5
BMC Neuroscience (http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcneurosci) is published by BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com), an independent online publishing house committed to providing Open Access to peer-reviewed biological and medical research. This commitment is based on the view that immediate free access to research and the ability to freely archive and reuse published information is essential to the rapid and efficient communication of science. BioMed Central currently publishes over 100 journals across biology and medicine. In addition to open-access original research, BioMed Central also publishes reviews, commentaries and other non-original-research content. Depending on the policies of the individual journal, this content may be open access or provided only to subscribers.
As a seasoned researcher specializing in the field of sensory perception and taste, I've delved into numerous studies that explore the intricate relationship between our physiological state and the way we experience flavors. My extensive background equips me with a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter at hand.
Now, let's dissect the information presented in the article and connect it to various relevant concepts:
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Title and Introduction:
- The title suggests that people on diets may find chocolate more enjoyable when hungry.
- The introduction introduces the idea that missing breakfast can heighten sensitivity to sweet and salty tastes.
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Research Methodology:
- The research, to be published in BMC Neuroscience, is conducted by Professor Zverev from the University of Malawi.
- Sixteen male undergraduates were chosen as participants.
- The experiment involved the volunteers forgoing breakfast after a set dinner the previous evening.
- The taste tests included solutions of sugar, salt, and quinine of different concentrations.
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Hunger and Taste Sensitivity:
- The article suggests that hunger may increase taste sensitivity.
- Possible explanations include heightened sensitivity of taste receptors on the tongue or changes in the perception of taste stimuli.
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Results:
- When hungry, participants were more sensitive to the presence of sugar and salt in the drinks.
- Hunger did not change the ability to recognize bitterness.
- The difference is attributed to the roles these tastes play, with sweet and salty tastes indicating edible substances and triggering consumption.
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Importance of Recognizing Bitterness:
- The article proposes that recognizing bitterness is crucial as it indicates substances that are not suitable for consumption and should be rejected.
- The ability to detect bitter solutions, even in relatively dilute concentrations, may be linked to avoiding potentially toxic substances.
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Methodological Considerations:
- Participants refrained from swallowing the drinks to prevent easing hunger.
- They spat out the solutions after tasting and rinsed their mouths with water between each test.
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Participants' Characteristics:
- None of the volunteers were smokers or drinkers.
- They all had good oral hygiene and were of normal weight.
- These factors were considered, as they have been shown to influence taste perception.
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Publication Information:
- The study is set to be published in BMC Neuroscience on February 23, 2004.
- The article emphasizes that it will be available free of charge, aligning with BMC Neuroscience's open-access policy.
In conclusion, this research sheds light on the intriguing connection between caloric deprivation, satiety, and taste sensitivity. The study's findings suggest that hunger may indeed enhance our ability to perceive sweet and salty tastes, providing valuable insights into the interplay between physiological states and gustatory experiences.
