ReviewTaste receptors in the gut - A new target for health promoting properties in diet

- Taste receptors are present not only in the oral cavity, but in the GI tract and many other organs in the body.
- Signalling from alternative “tasting sites” can have beneficial effects on health and metabolic homeostasis.
- Taste receptors in GI tract and the liver could be novel targets for functional foods.

In this review we describe a new target for food functionality, the taste receptors in the gastrointestinal tract. These receptors are involved in an intricate signalling network for monitoring of taste and nutrient intake, homeostasis and energy metabolism, and they are also an early warning system for toxic substances in our diet. Especially the receptors for bitter taste provide a new possibility to activate a number of health related signalling pathways, already at low concentrations of the active substance, without requiring uptake into the body and transport via the circulation. When ligands bind to these receptors, signalling is induced either via peptide hormones into the circulation to other organs in the body, or via nerve fibers directly to the brain.

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