Most everyone has heard of the infamous "6th Sense", but scientists in New Zealand have conducted a study that may show our tongues actually do have a 6th sense of taste.
Eater.com reports, researchers conducted a study to see if our tongue's tasting talents extend beyond the usual sour, salty, sweet, bitter and savory categories. In the tests, participant's tongues were exposed to one of three liquid solutions to test for a surprising 6th sense. Read on for the full breakdown.
Researchers exposed participants to one of three solutions, the first being sweet, the second was identically sweet but with the inclusion of carbohydrates, and the third was not sweet and contained no carbs. The participants were asked to squeeze a sensor when shown a visual cue. When tongues were rinsed with the carbohydrate solution, researchers "observed a 30% increase in activity in areas of the brain that control movement and vision". The results may show that our bodies detect carbohydrates via sensors on the tongue, before the nutrients reach our stomachs or are ever metabolized. As
Eater.com points out, this could help explain why carbohydrate-rich drinks give you more energy even before they are metabolized.
Be sure to check out the source link below for more information, and a link to the research.
Source:
Eater.com,
Image Credit (Flickr)
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