Ability to taste bitter foods might be linked with ability to fight off infections. New research on “supertasters” reveals immune response. — Click to Tweet.
It appears that people with strong receptors for bitter-tasting foods might have a gene that also arms them with an early warning system for bacteria entering their sinuses and nasal cavities.
The taste receptors, which nearly a third of people in Europe and the US do not have, were traditionally thought to be on the tongue only. But new research reveals that they also line the nasal and sinus cavities, detecting certain bacterial invaders and priming the body’s defense system before the bacteria reach the lungs.
Rhinology Researchers
Rhinologists, far from studying exotic animals, study the nose. And on particular rhinologist, Dr. Noam Cohen, director of rhinology research at the University of Pennsylvania, has discovered exactly how these taste-receptor genes prime our bodies’ defense systems.
In the study, researchers grew cells in a petri dish, and formed them into structures resembling nose and sinus linings. Then they exposed these cells to chemical produced by Pseudomas aeruginosa, which is a common bacteria. The results showed how these bitter receptors reacted to the early stages of an infection.
The bitter receptors, which are created by the taste-receptor gene TAS2R38, reacted by causing the hair-like cilia that line the sinuses to sweep away microbial intruders. They also activated the secretion of nitric oxide into the sinuses, which kills bacteria.
Possible Treatments?
This fascinating find in rhinology could lead to novel treatments for conditions like chronic rinosinusitic, which afflicts 1 in 10 people in the United States. The condition causes constantly inflamed sinus tissues.
It might also lead to a nearly cost-free taste test that can detect whether you’re a supertaster or not. The results could help identify those more susceptible to illness.
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