Nature Weight found that the sugar preference, actually from the intestines of the brain drive, finally know why can't quit milk tea and cola.

Author: nagashi is sour, sweet, bitter and spicy, which is the four flavors of life; only by using firewood, rice, oil and salt can we know that life is not easy.taste can bring people a unique feeling, and even carry the feeling of "hometown flavor".however, among the many taste feelings, sweetness is ultimately popular, which can be said to be salty for all ages.whether it's snacks, condiments, or coffee, adding a little sugar will always make our taste buds more satisfied. The tongue is the most important taste organ of human beings. Research shows that the root of the tongue mainly feels bitter, the front of both sides of the tongue feels salty, the back of both sides of the tongue feels acid, and to the tip of the tongue, it feels sweet.the most direct source of sweetness is sugar. Glucose, fructose and sucrose can make people feel sweet.so, is all the sugar feeling produced by the tongue? Recently, researchers from Zuckerman Institute of brain behavior at Columbia University published a research paper entitled "the gut brain axis mediators sugar preference" in nature, a top international academic journal.this study found that the glucose sensing pathway from the gut to the brain is crucial for the formation of sugar preference after food intake, and reveals the neural basis of different effects of sweeteners and sugars on behavior and the basic circuit of the effect of sugar on appetite.sugar is the basic energy source for all animals, and accordingly, most species have evolved specialized brain circuits to sense sugars.therefore, a preference for sweetness and a high intake of sugar are essential for early human survival.however, in modern society, this makes it difficult for us to resist the temptation from milk tea, ice cream and cola, resulting in a sharp increase in obesity rate.in this study, the researchers conducted an experiment in which mice were given free choice to add glucose and artificial sweeteners respectively. Initially, mice were randomly selected, but after 24 hours, they would prefer the solution containing glucose.moreover, this preference still existed even after the taste receptors of mice were knocked out.the above studies have shown that animals have a strong preference for sugars even if they lack sweet receptors, which means that there is a carbohydrate perception mechanism independent of the taste system, which can stimulate and increase the intake, utilization and consumption of sugars.researchers have studied the neural basis of glucose preference, and have demonstrated that neuronal populations in the vagal ganglion and brainstem are activated through the gut brain axis, thus producing a preference for sugar.it is worth noting that these neurons were stimulated only by sugars and did not respond to artificial sweeteners.using functional imaging, the researchers monitored the activity of the gut brain axis and identified vagus nerve cells activated by glucose transport in the intestine.then, the researchers genetically modified the mouse model to inhibit the synaptic activity of gut brain axis at the gene level, and successfully prevented the development of glucose preference behavior in the mouse model. in addition, the researchers also stimulated this neural circuit through chemical genetic technology, and made mice have a preference for other abnormal stimuli, proving that this neural circuit is closely related to sugar preference behavior. in conclusion, this study shows that the gut brain axis sugar sensing pathway is crucial for the formation of sugar preference, and the sugar sensing pathway is not related to the sweet receptor (tip of the tongue). in addition, the researchers also explained the neural basis of the difference in behavioral effects between artificial sweeteners and sugars, and revealed the neural circuits in which sugar stimulates appetite. PS: now you know why sugar free cola can't be called cola. Even if it deceives your taste buds, it can't cheat your stomach. paper links: