How sensitive a person is to the taste of complex carbohydrates could influence the size of their waistline, Australian researchers say.
A Deakin University study - published in the Journal of Nutrition - has shown those with a 'taste sensitivity' to carbohydrates maltodextrin and oligofructose - commonly found in bread, potatoes and rice - ate more and had larger waists.
Lead researcher, Professor Russell Keast says carbohydrates have long been assumed invisible to taste, unlike a taste for salt, sugar and fat. But Professor Keast and her team believe they have uncovered an extra taste - the taste for carbohydrate.
"It is typically sugar, with its hedonically pleasing sweet taste, that is the most sought after carbohydrate," Professor Keast said.
"But our research has shown that there is a perceivable taste quality elicited by other carbohydrates independent of sweet taste."
To investigate this taste association, researchers tested oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates in 34 adults.
They found these carbohydrates could be sensed in the mouth.
"Measurements of oral sensitivity to complex carbohydrates were significantly correlated with WC (waist circumference) and dietary energy and starch intakes," the authors wrote.
What this could mean is that those more sensitive to the taste of carbohydrate could subconsciously accelerate a person's craving, said Prof Keast.
"But we need to do much more research to identify the reason why."
The research comes two years after Professor Keast's team named fat as the "sixth taste".
"Interestingly, what we found in the fat taste studies was that the people who were more sensitive to fat consumed less fatty foods, but it's the other way around for carbohydrates," Professor Keast said.
Professor Keast said this line of novel research is important because the increasing problem of obesity-related chronic illnesses," said Prof Keast.
"Increased energy intake, in particular greater intakes of energy-dense foods, is thought to be one of the major contributors to the global rise of overweight and obesity, and carbohydrates represent a major source of energy in our diet," he said.
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