A Gut-to-Brain Circuit Drives Sugar Preference and May Explain Sugar Cravings

Recommendable! So it is not a sweet tooth, but a sweet nerve via sensors in the gut? :-) Or why artificial sweeteners have not been very succesful!

"Here we examined the neural basis for sugar preference and demonstrate that a population of neurons in the vagal ganglia and brainstem are activated via the gut–brain axis to create preference for sugar. These neurons are stimulated in response to sugar but not artificial sweeteners, and are activated by direct delivery of sugar to the gut."

"By visualizing brain activity when the rodents consumed sugar versus artificial sweetener or water, the researchers for the first time identified the brain region that responds solely to sugar: the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNST). Found in the brain stem, separate from where mice process taste, the cNST is a hub for information about the state of the body."

One of the research paper's authors happens to be Charles S. Zuker! The German word for sugar is Zucker. What a coincidence!

The gut–brain axis mediates sugar preference (published in Nature 4/15/2020)

A Gut-to-Brain Circuit Drives Sugar Preference and May Explain Sugar Cravings | HHMI.org: The sensation of sweetness starts on the tongue, but sugar molecules also trip sensors in the gut that directly signal the brain. This could explain why artificial sweeteners fail to satisfy the insatiable craving for sugar.