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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : June 4, 2014 4:20 PM IST
Do you know why you look for chocolates or sweets when under intense stress? Because stress-activated hormones are hidden in oral taste cells responsible for detection of sweet and get activated under stress.
These hormones, known as glucocorticoids (GC), may act directly on taste receptor cells under conditions of stress to affect these cells' response to sugars and certain other taste stimuli.
'Sweet taste may be particularly affected by stress. Our results may provide a molecular mechanism to help explain why some people eat more sugary foods under stress,' said M. Rockwell Parker, a chemical ecologist at Philadelphia-based Monell Chemical Senses Center.
Knowing that stress can have major effects on metabolism and food choice, the researchers used a mouse model to ask whether taste receptor cells contain these GC receptors.
The findings revealed that GC receptors are present on the tongue where they are specifically localised to the cells that contain receptors for sweet, umami and bitter taste.
The highest concentrations of GC receptors were found in 'Tas1r3' taste cells, which are sensitive to sweet and umami taste.
The results suggest that sweet taste perception and intake, which are known to be altered by stress, may be specifically affected via secretion of GCs and subsequent activation of GC receptors in taste cells.
'Taste provides one of our initial evaluations of potential foods. If this sense can be directly affected by stress-related hormonal changes, our food interaction will likewise be altered,' Parker maintained.
The new research is described in the cover article of the June issue of the journal Nanophotonics.
Stress generally refers to a state of mind or mental tension that is linked to anxiety, irritability, insecurity, mental disorders like depression or insomnia and physical ones like migraine, cardiovascular ailments and sexual dysfunction. It occurs in the presence of an external stimulus called the stressor. Usually factors like work pressure, personal commitments and working environment act as common stressors in daily life. Our body can handle stress with a mechanism called fight-or-flight response, where certain hormones are released to combat stress. But when the levels of these hormones are increased, several organs and systems of the body may get affected. Increased stress levels commonly affects the immune system, musculoskeletal system, circulatory system and digestive system.It is also linked to heart disease, diabetes and gastro-intestinal disorders. There's a causal link between stress and physiological ailment. However the fact that many individuals remain healthy after stressful events suggests that susceptibility varies from person to person based on genetic, environmental and psychological factors. In this section, you can read some interesting ways to handle stress ex: laughter yoga,natural remedies, healthy food and water.
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