Project Summary/Abstract:
The enjoyment of fat-rich foods has benefitted our species by providing necessary energy, as well as lipid
components that are crucial for growth and development. Thus, it is no surprise that fatty acid detection
components have been recently identified in taste tissue, likely evolved for the necessary intake of energy and
essential fatty acids. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has recently been implicated in both the detection of
and reward conferred by fatty acids in fatty foods. These detection and reward systems serve to increase intake
of triglyceride-rich foods, which is evolutionarily advantageous. Today, an overabundance of LCFAs, especially
omega 6 and saturated fatty acids, are present in processed foods and snacks (doughnuts, ice cream, etc.),
adding to the growing global obesity phenomenon. In particular, the anabolic ECS that drives consumption by
strengthening fat intake reward is damaging health in the Western food environment. We presently seek to
understand how the endocannabinoid system impacts oral fatty acid detection and the hedonic evaluation of
fatty, palatable foods, as well as how these parameters are altered in obese individuals. These experiments will
allow us to understand how to develop therapeutic targets of the ECS in order to sensitize ‘fat taste’ and reduce
the desire for and consumption of fatty foods in obese individuals.
