07-18-2008, 07:58 AM
New research out of Harvard University and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine-
In two separate studies, scientists found a gene in mice they believe is responsible for craving sweetness — and it may also exist in humans. If these findings, detailed in the May issue of Nature Genetics, hold true for people, they could help explain why some of us are riveted by a box of saltwater taffy while others can simply turn away.
The gene, called T1R3, has not yet been proven to be the elusive "sweet tooth gene," but scientists plan to test their findings by implanting the gene into mice who seem to lack an interest in sugar water and see if they can stimulate a sweet tooth response.
If further research supports the T1R3 receptor theory, and the results translate to humans, there could be great developments in the field of sugar. Highly specific taste tests, for example, could yield spectacularly realistic artificial sweeteners: Let's say you've got a new sweetener. If the sweet tooth receptor responds to it, you've hit pay dirt.
Some day, scientists might even be able to switch that receptor gene to an "off" position — a development that could help diabetics and people with weight problems modulate their responses to sugar.
Those happy developments, of course, remain purely hypothetical at this point.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/...ne-sidebar
In two separate studies, scientists found a gene in mice they believe is responsible for craving sweetness — and it may also exist in humans. If these findings, detailed in the May issue of Nature Genetics, hold true for people, they could help explain why some of us are riveted by a box of saltwater taffy while others can simply turn away.
The gene, called T1R3, has not yet been proven to be the elusive "sweet tooth gene," but scientists plan to test their findings by implanting the gene into mice who seem to lack an interest in sugar water and see if they can stimulate a sweet tooth response.
If further research supports the T1R3 receptor theory, and the results translate to humans, there could be great developments in the field of sugar. Highly specific taste tests, for example, could yield spectacularly realistic artificial sweeteners: Let's say you've got a new sweetener. If the sweet tooth receptor responds to it, you've hit pay dirt.
Some day, scientists might even be able to switch that receptor gene to an "off" position — a development that could help diabetics and people with weight problems modulate their responses to sugar.
Those happy developments, of course, remain purely hypothetical at this point.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/...ne-sidebar