Tasting sweet

# Why does sweet taste better? Scientifically speaking, the sense of taste is a chemosensor that can perceive the flavors sweet, sour, salty and bitter. It does this by activating the taste buds on the surface of the tongue. The sweet taste is increasingly perceived at the tip of the tongue. The sweet taste quality is triggered by sugar in its various forms. After all, sugar is a significant source of calories. Tasting sweetness is not only a taste preference, but also a genetically determined ability that can vary from person to person. The perception of sweetness depends on certain gene variants that are responsible for the formation of taste receptors on the tongue. Some people have a higher sensitivity to sweet flavors, while others are less sensitive and require a higher concentration of sugar to achieve the same taste effect. These genetic differences can affect our eating behavior and influence the risk of certain diseases such as obesity, elevated blood lipids, elevated blood sugar, etc..., which are closely related to the consumption of sugar and sweets. In this context, understanding the genetic basis for the perception of sweet taste is helpful for the development of personalized dietary recommendations and the prevention of health risks. ## Examples of sweet foods/pleasures: > ## Good to know > > The sweet taste is the only taste that is innate to humans. Even newborn babies can perceive sweetness as a pleasant taste. The gustatory system has an important biological function as it tests natural foods for their edibility. The preference for sweetness makes sense in terms of evolutionary biology, as the sweet taste is usually linked to carbohydrates, which in turn represent an important source of energy. Conversely, toxins found in nature tend to taste bitter and rarely sweet, so that the sweet taste is considered harmless. # What does genetics have to do with it? We are investigating a gene for the perception of sweet taste: The TAS1R3 gene (Taste Receptor Type 1 Member 3 gene) carries the blueprint in cells for a protein that plays an important role in tasting sweet substances. Variants of the gene can lead to changes in the perception of sweetness. Some variants lead to sweet foods being perceived as less sweet, while other variants can lead to an increased perception of sweetness. - Variant rs35744813 of the TAS1R3 gene: The T/T and C/T genotypes show a reduced taste sensitivity to sweetness (sucrose) and tend to consume more sugar. - Variant rs307355 of the TAS1R3 gene: The genotypes T/T and C/T show a reduced taste sensitivity to sweet (sucrose) and tend to increase sugar consumption.