Orosensory perception of dietary lipids in mammals

Obesity constitutes a major public health problem for the twenty-first century, with its epidemic spread worldwide, particularly in children. The overconsumption of fatty foods greatly contributes to this phenomenon. Rodents and humans display a spontaneous preference for lipid-rich foods. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this pattern of eating behaviour in mammals remain unclear. The orosensory perception of dietary lipids was long thought to involve only textural and olfactory cues. Recent findings challenge this limited viewpoint, strongly suggesting that the sense of taste also plays a significant role in dietary lipid perception and might therefore be involved in the preference for fatty foods and obesity. This minireview analyses recent data relating to the molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences of this means of orosensory lipid perception.