title: Taste perception, associated hormonal modulation, and nutrient intake.
abstract: It is well known that taste perception influences food intake. After ingestion, gustatory receptors relay sensory signals to the brain, which segregates, evaluates, and distinguishes the stimuli, leading to the experience known as "flavor." It is well accepted that five taste qualities – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami – can be perceived by animals. In this review, the anatomy and physiology of human taste buds, the hormonal modulation of taste function, the importance of genetic chemosensory variation, and the influence of gustatory functioning on macronutrient selection and eating behavior are discussed. Individual genotypic variation results in specific phenotypes of food preference and nutrient intake. Understanding the role of taste in food selection and ingestive behavior is important for expanding our understanding of the factors involved in body weight maintenance and the risk of chronic diseases including obesity, atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: H.B. Loper is with the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. M. La Sala and C. Dotson are with the Division of Addiction Medicine, Center for Smell and Taste, Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. N Steinle is with the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Hillary B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Loper
authors.affiliation: H.B. Loper is with the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. M. La Sala and C. Dotson are with the Division of Addiction Medicine, Center for Smell and Taste, Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. N Steinle is with the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Sala
authors.affiliation: H.B. Loper is with the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. M. La Sala and C. Dotson are with the Division of Addiction Medicine, Center for Smell and Taste, Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. N Steinle is with the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Cedrick
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dotson
authors.affiliation: H.B. Loper is with the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. M. La Sala and C. Dotson are with the Division of Addiction Medicine, Center for Smell and Taste, Department of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. N Steinle is with the Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA nsteinle@medicine.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Nanette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Steinle
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics; D013650:Taste Buds / Q000502:physiology; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: chemosensation; gustatory system; taste perception