Eureka!: Small Wonders

Taste and Weight

Photo: Kyle Hacker

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Like strokes of paint on canvas, taste cells glow against a dark backdrop. A recent UB study found that weight may affect how these cells react to different foods. The project compared 25 obese mice with 25 slimmer littermates and revealed that the heavier animals had fewer taste cells capable of detecting sweets. This means overweight mice may have to eat more to get satisfaction, says UB biologist Kathryn Medler, who led the research.