Vnitr Lek 2014, 60(5-6):454-457

Importance of taste in maintaining homeostasis and pathological impact of orosensory reflexes distraction in relation to sweet taste after non-caloric sweeteners consumption.

Jana Neuwirthová^*, Břetislav Gál, Pavel Smilek, Rom Kostřica

Klinika otorinolaryngologie a chirurgie hlavy a krku LF MU a FN u sv. Anny Brno, přednosta prof. MUDr. Rom Kostřica, CSc.

Taste signals and their reflexes have important signalling function in nature. They protect organism against toxic substances in food with help of taste aversion, they help to cope nutrition deficiencies through taste preferences, on the other hand, they act in many postprandial reflexes to maintain energy homeostasis. It is well-known that sweet taste is important oro-sensory stimulus for mammals. It acts as predictor of caloric food intake even before its entry into stomach and circulation. Taste and other oro-sensory signals from oral cavity affect not only the intake regulation, but also influence hormonal, neural and metabolic pathways to maintain homeostasis. The aim is to utilize effectively food energy and prevent energy instability of organism. Oro-sensory reflexes mediated by taste cells develop naturally from the first contact with sweet breast milk in infancy. It has been proven that the attenuation of reflexes due to the use of artificial sweeteners that don't bring any caloric value to human body leads to hormonal and energetic dysregulation of organism and may contribute to metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: consumption of non-caloric sweeteners; oro-sensory reflexes; taste signals

Received: January 3, 2014; Accepted: March 2, 2014; Published: May 1, 2014  Show citation