For many years it was believed that human tongue could identify four elements of taste such as sweet, sour, salt and bitter. But now researchers believe that a genetic variation can make some people more sensitive to molecules of fat than others.
Up till now it had been supposed that the craving to eat fatty foods was to do with the sensory system and some individuals fascinated to texture and smell of fatty foods. However, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine found that cravings for fatty food in obese individuals may be associated with their levels of receptors known as CD36.
People who possess higher levels of CD36 receptors are better at detecting the presence of fatty food and ostensibly less likely to ravine on it. In a bit to analyze the effect of CD36 receptor, researchers asked twenty-one obese people to taste solutions from three cups and identify which was different.
One cup contained small amounts of a fatty oil, while the other two were fat-free. They found that participants those generated the most CD36 receptors were eight times more sensitive to the presence of the fat compared to the participants who generated about half the amount.
According to lead author Prof Nada Abumrad, the study finding could help treat obesity by discovering a technique to increase sensitivity to it. People need to determine in future if their ability to detect fat in food influences their fat intake, which clearly would have impact on their obesity. The study reported in the Journal of Lipid Research.
The earlier test of the CD36 receptor in animal have shown that its levels are not just genetic, but that eating more fat leads to less production of it. As you eat more fat, it is possible that you need more and more to satisfy your cravings.