The phenomenon has been noted previously, in weight management research circles, but now scientists say they’ve discovered why it happens. And this may lead to development of new therapies to treat both the phenomenon and unhealthy eating habits that may arise from it…
Treat your taste buds now and then – but don’t make a habit of it!
Too much of a good thing can lead to too much you…
Researchers at Cornell University have discovered that the dulling of the sense of taste reported by overweight and obese people can be traced back to a reduction in the number of taste buds on the tongue. This reduction apparently takes place as the byproduct of a change in metabolism associated with the development of adipose (fatty) tissue.
The Cornell study, by Andrew Kaufman, Robin Dando and colleagues, shows that inflammation, driven by obesity, actually reduces the number of taste buds on the tongues of mice. In fact, obese mice were found to have 25 percent fewer taste buds on their tongues than their non-obese brothers and sisters.
We’ve talked before about why scientists use mice in lab studies. In spite of the obvious differences between mice and men, there are many similarities at the micro and DNA levels. So, it seems safe to extrapolate the phenomenon to humans.
But, if researchers do develop ways of reversing taste bud deficiencies in obese people, what effects might that have? The scientists don’t speculate. But I do.
Possible outcomes…
Since the dulling of the taste buds is reversed when overweight or obese people slim down, it stands to reason that slimmer people may be that way because they not only have less fatty tissue but enjoy what they eat more and, so, don’t need as much to make them feel satisfied.
Turning that around, it could be argued that fatties may eat more because they must eat more and eat longer to get the same taste gratification as non-fatties. This theory doesn’t explain why fatties get fat in the first place. But it may help explain why they find it so hard to slim down after ballooning.
That’s just my theory, not an assertion by the scientists behind the study. But it makes sense.
~ Maggie J.