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Updated: May 25, 2026
10:29
Measuring Oral Fatty Acid Thresholds, Fat Perception, Fatty Food Liking, and Papillae Density in Humans
Published on: June 4, 2014
CD36 and taste of fat
Patricia Degrace-Passilly1, Philippe Besnard
1Physiologie de la Nutrition et Toxicologie (NUTox), INSERM/Université de Bourgogne/AgroSup Dijon, Dijon, France.
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|January 18, 2012
Summary
The multifunctional protein CD36 plays a key role in the taste of fat, influencing food preferences and obesity risk. This gustatory lipid sensor is found in both rodents and humans, suggesting a universal function.
Area of Science:
- Sensory Science
- Molecular Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- A taste for fat drives preference for lipid-rich foods.
- The protein CD36 has emerged as a significant factor in fat taste perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of CD36 in fat taste, eating behavior, and obesity risk.
- To explore recent findings in rodents and humans.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies.
- Analysis of evidence for CD36 and GPR120 in oral fat detection.
Main Results:
- CD36 is crucial for fat taste in rodents, contributing to preferences for fatty foods.
- GPR120 is another identified lipid sensor, indicating a complex oral fat detection mechanism.
- Both CD36 and GPR120 are present in human taste buds, with differential regulation during meals.
Conclusions:
- Lingual CD36 is implicated in fatty food attraction in rodents.
- Expression of CD36 in human taste buds suggests a potential universal role in gustatory lipid sensing.
- CD36's function may influence eating behavior and obesity risk across species.
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