Childhood Obesity and Taste Buds
Taste is something that most people don’t even think about experiencing in daily life other than after a delicious meal or, inversely, a terrible meal. However, it is a complex system that is accomplished through the use of taste buds. These taste buds allow us to taste five primary flavors: sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami, with umami tasting like meat. Although we can taste all of these flavors, we have a higher sensitivity to sour and bitter substances likely due to survival needs.
The experiments conducted on the almost 200 children, with a little over half being obese, were tasting tests that determined whether a child could differentiate between the five flavors and explain the intensity at which a flavor was administered. The study found that obese children, when compared to normal weight children, would have difficulties distinguishing between both intensities and certain flavors. These flavors were the salty, umami, and bitter tastes. This study concluded that obese children have taste buds that are less sensitive than that of their normal weight counterparts.
As we begin to better understand childhood obesity, we can more easily attempt to stop it from happening. Because we believe that these children have less sensitive taste buds and could be a contributing factor of the obesity, scientists could find a way to heighten the sensitivity of the taste buds. Another solution could be to find foods with very high intensities to satisfy the cravings that these children have. Ultimately, this will help the individual from suffering from conditions and diseases that the obese are prone to obtaining.
Tortora G.J. and B. Derrickson. 2012. Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. 13th ed., John Wiley and Sons
BMJ-British Medical Journal (2012, September 19). Obese children have less sensitive taste-buds than those of normal weight. ScienceDaily. 12. Jul. 2013. Web.