Bitter and Sweet Diets Alter Taste Response and Alcohol Consumption Behavior in Mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background/objectives

Taste guides the consumption of food and alcohol for both humans and rodents. Given that chronic dietary exposure to bitter and sweet foods are purported to alter the perception of bitter and sweet tastes respectively, we hypothesized that dietary habits may shape how the taste properties of ethanol are perceived and thus how it is consumed.

Methods

Using C57BL/6 mice as a model, we contrasted taste behavior, morphology, and expression after a 4-week diet featuring consistent bitter, sweet, or neutral (water) stimuli.

Results

Our results demonstrated that a 4-week bitter diet containing a quinine solution increased preference for ethanol, while a 4-week sweet diet consisting of a sucralose solution did not alter ethanol preference nor intake. The

SUBMITTER: Koh AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11901823 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature