Lipids and obesity: Also a matter of taste?

Obesity is undoubtedly one of the major public health challenges worldwide because of its rapid progression and deleterious effects of associated diseases. The easier access to tasty and energy-dense foods is thought to greatly contribute to this epidemic. Studies also report that obese subjects and animals (rats and mice) preferentially consume foods rich in fat when they can choose. The origin of this eating behavior remains elusive. Over the last decade, the existence of a taste of fat, besides textural and olfactory cues, was supported by a growing number of studies. The existence of a sixth taste modality devoted to the detection/perception of dietary lipids might offer additive information on the quality of food. While the sense of taste is recognized to be a driving-force guiding food choice, interest in the putative relationships between lipids, gustation and obesity is only now emerging. This mini-review will attempt to summarize our current knowledge on this new field of research.