The last taste discovered by scientists umami is still relatively unknown to most Western people and that although its chicken stock like taste is rather common to us. ‘Umami’ means deliciousness and people eating products flavoured with ‘umami’ often describe their feeling while biting into the particular food mouth watering and meaty. This taste is closely connected to particular amino acids such as glutamic acid and has been used as a flavour enhancer in form of MSG (mono sodium glutamate) for several decades now.

For many people eating foods rich in fats such as cream, cheese, chocolate or minced meat, the sensation of mouth watering also describes best how they feel about enjoying these foods. Looking into the current Western diet it becomes obvious that people enjoy eating fatty foods. In addition to that most chefs know that fats are particular useful in enhancing and transporting flavours in their dishes.

Fat of course is one of the three major and energy giving nutrients in the human diet and is recommended to make up about 35% of our diet. Fat is particular energy dense which in some way is why it is deemed today as a ‘bad’ nutrient and that although certain fats are essential for our health because the human body cannot synthesise them (e.g. omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids).

From an evolutionary perspective it would make sense that people can taste fat. The diet of our ancestors the foragers thousands of years ago had much less fat available and that although the energy needs of our ancestors are likely to have been much higher. In the human metabolism fat offers more energy per gram than carbohydrate and protein. So for our ancestor’s fat should have been very important to sustain their energy needs. Some traditional cultures such as the aborigines even select their pray by the content of visible fat knowing that fat is important for survival in the open land.

Although we were aware about the importance of fat as a nutrient and a flavour enhancer, so far there has been only limited evidence that fat could be a taste in humans in itself. Traditionally there have been four taste sensations salty, sweet, sour and bitter, for these tastes experimental evidence was fairly easy to provide as we perceive all of them consciously without any other senses being involved (e.g. smell). More recently neuroscientists have learned that fats or more precisely fatty acids (smaller breakdown products of fats) appear to be sensed/ tasted rather subconsciously by our tongues.

A recent study in Australia investigated the ability of 30 participants to taste a range of fatty acids in otherwise tasteless solutions. All participants were able to taste these fatty acids in the solution; however some people needed higher concentrations of fatty acids to detect the taste successfully.

This was an interesting aspect of the investigation hence further research was carried out on 50 participants. In this case the sensitivity of the participants for the fatty acids was compared with their Body Mass Indexes and interestingly people who could detect fatty acids at lower concentrations were likely to be slimmer. This suggests people who are able to taste fatty acids in lower concentrations consume less of them; hence the researchers suggest that there might be some sort of feedback mechanism which tells the body that enough fat has been consumed. Furthermore there might be the chance that people consuming diets high in fatty acids become desensitized in similar ways as people become desensitized to high salt and sugar diets.

Although most of this is currently only theory further research will surely shed light into our ability to taste fat and recognize when to stop eating fatty foods. For many people struggling with increasing waistlines this might also pose new hope to battle their demons and it will also allow health professionals help to find better tools to tackle obesity. On the other hand it is also likely that the food industry and pharmaceutical industry will create products like foods which are even more delicious not to say addictive or medications which increase our ability to taste fatty acids and reduce appetite.

Andrea Zick – Esteem Fitness Nutritionist
Esteem Fitness – Personal training London and South East UK