Effects of sugar and fat consumption on sweet and fat taste

•Low-fat diet decreases fat taste thresholds (increased sensitivity to C18:1) in lean and obese people.•High-fat diet increases fat taste thresholds (decreased sensitivity to C18:1) only in lean people.•Genetic variation in TAS1R2 gene associated with excess sugar consumption in overweight and obese individuals.•Increased sweet taste intensity may be associated with low dietary sugar consumption.

Excessive consumption of fat and sugar is associated with development of diet related diseases. While there are multiple factors involved with overconsumption of sweet and fatty foods, the taste system is responsible for identifying sugars and fats in foods, and in this way inform consumption of potential foods. Published research linking sweet taste and sugar consumption is limited and conflicting with one recent dietary intervention supporting a link between sweet taste and sugar consumption. Fat taste is an emerging area of interest, and recent research illustrates a direct link with high-fat diet increasing fat taste thresholds while low-fat diets decrease fat taste thresholds.