sense of taste consists of five major components: bitter, sweet, salty, sour and umami, or the taste of proteins, which has only recently been recognized as the fifth major.All mammals like sweet and umami, and a sour and bitter are disgusted.
With salt, the situation interesting.
It all depends on the concentration.In small quantities of salt like animals, they prefer salted solution is fresh, but too high a concentration becomes hostile.Moreover, the animals reject the salty, even if they feel a lack of salt in the body.
In the last fifteen years, scientists have gradually discovered the taste buds responsible for the feeling of sweet, bitter, and so on. D. Were opened and receptors that are sensitive to salted, but with a "high salt" came a hitch.Receptors for her could not be found, although science was convinced that high salt concentrations must be individual cells.As a result, the way it turned out - the only difference is that the high concentration of salt does not irritate any new cell receptors and the former bitter and sour.Discovered it, researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (USA), published an article in the magazine Nature.
When the scientists switched off only one type of receptor (bitter or sour), aversion to salty animals weakened, but not completely disappeared.If both types are switched off, much to the disgust vanished salty at all, and even the animals began to pull salty solutions.Even seawater they perceive as salted - at the expense of ordinary salt receptors.
not entirely clear why suddenly from sour and bitter receptors evolution needed to do part-time, and give them the ability to feel sverhsolёnoe.Perhaps the answer to this question more detailed studies.Well, in terms of the results of practice can help, if you need to limit your intake of salty.Doctors advise to eat less salty at a number of diseases, but difficult to implement this recommendation.If the person will be available to remedy sensitizing "the salt side" receptors of bitter and sour, to do without salt will be no problems.
Cyril Stasevich
Articles Source: compulenta.ru
