Taste of sweetness affected by hormone, study says

Scientists at the University of Maryland have discovered a hormone that regulates blood sugar also may connect to people's sense of sweetness.

The discovery means it may be possible to adjust how food tastes to people, and how much they enjoy it. That could lead to additives that help treat obesity, metabolic disorders and diabetes, according to the study published online June 14 in the Federation for American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

"An interesting possibility resulting from our research is that the development of new food additives could change the way you perceive your food, making it taste more or less sweet," said senior author Steven D. Munger, associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, in a statement.

"From a food industry perspective, such additives could be used to enhance flavor. From a therapeutic perspective, they could be used to treat patients who under-eat or overeat."

How would you like to just turn off your ability to taste sweet foods? Would that help your diet?

Baltimore Sun file photo/Kim Hairston