Decoding Dietary Fat: Molecular Sensing, Brain Integration, and the Biology of Flavor

Dietary fat perception influences food preference, satiety, and metabolic regulation but remains incompletely understood. This review examines current knowledge regarding receptor-mediated fat sensing, neural integration, adaptive plasticity, and their clinical implications.

Evidence was collected from major biomedical databases through June 2026. Human and experimental studies addressing molecular receptors, psychophysical testing, electrophysiology, neuroimaging, genetics, and metabolic physiology were critically synthesized.

CD36 and GPR120 function as principal lipid sensors alongside FFAR1, GPR84, FFAR2, and TGR5. Oral lipid detection is integrated with retronasal olfactory processing, trigeminal signaling, endocrine responses, and cortical reward networks. Fat perception demonstrates remarkable adaptability through receptor regulation, inflammatory remodeling, epigenetic modification, and dietary exposure. Methodological heterogeneity remains a major limitation across psychophysical and molecular investigations.

Evidence supports a distributed, adaptive, and metabolically regulated system of dietary fat perception rather than an isolated sensory pathway. Improved methodological standardization and multidisciplinary approaches will accelerate translation into personalized dietary interventions and metabolic therapeutics.