ScienceDaily (Mar. 27, 2008) — The brain can sense the calories in food, independent of the taste mechanism, researchers have found in studies with mice. Their finding that the brain’s reward system is switched on by this “sixth sense” machinery could have implications for understanding the causes of obesity. For example, the findings suggest why high-fructose corn syrup, widely used as a sweetener in foods, might contribute to obesity. Ivan de Araujo and colleagues published their findings in the March 27, 2008, issue of the journal Neuron.
