Turns out carbohydrates have a unique taste — which might explain why you can’t stop eating them
By Sam Downing|
![](https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/JRxKH-vsZ-Bt-87kbfbaqKdTvzI=/600x338/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2FNetwork%2FImages%2F2017%2F10%2F26%2F10%2F32%2F171025_coach_pasta.jpg)
There are five distinct tastes us humans can detect: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savoury. Australian researchers believe they’ve uncovered an extra one: carbohydrate, which might explain your apparent addiction to bread and pasta.
This newly identified carbohydrate taste is distinct from the sweet taste of sugar, which is a type of carb.
“It is typically sugar, with its hedonically pleasing sweet taste, that is the most sought-after carbohydrate,” said Russell Keast, a professor from Deakin University’s Centre of Advanced Sensory Science (CASS), in a statement.
“But our research has shown that there is a perceivable taste quality elicited by other carbohydrates independent of sweet taste.”
The Deakin team’s investigation, published in the Journal of Nutrition, tested people’s sensitivity to two kinds of carbohydrate: maltodextrin and oligofructose, both found in the likes of bread, pasta and rice.
Study participants who could taste these carbs more keenly were found to consume them in higher quantities, and consequently weigh more.
“Those who were most sensitive to the carbohydrate taste ate more of these foods and had a larger waist,” said Dr Julia Low, from Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences.
“We specifically looked at waist measurements as they are a good measure of the risk of dietary related diseases.”
RELATED: Why carbs aren't the devil (and you shouldn't feel guilty about a bit of chocolate)
You don’t need to be a nutrition scientist to figure out why added carbs expand your waistline: they increase your overall energy intake, and if you consume more energy than you expend, it’s generally stored as body fat.
“Increased energy intake, in particular greater intakes of energy-dense foods, is thought to be one of the major contributors to the global rise of overweight and obesity,” said Keast. “Carbohydrates represent a major source of energy in our diet.”
In the Australian diet, carbohydrates account for an average 45 percent of total energy intake. Starchy carbs like bread, cereals, rice, and potatoes — what everyday people mean when they talk about “carbs” — accounted for 24 percent, and sugary carbs accounted for 20 percent.
RELATED: No carbs, no concentration: How rice, pasta and potato make you smarter
Other research has also suggested humans have a special fondness for starchy tastes. In 2015, Keast’s team found that we can also detect fat as a distinct taste — but while those who can taste carbohydrate are likely to eat more carb-y foods, those who can taste fat are likely to eat less fatty foods.
“What that could mean is that individuals who are more sensitive to the ‘taste’ of carbohydrate also have some form of subconscious accelerator that increases carbohydrate or starchy food consumption,” Keast said. “But we need to do much more research to identify the reason why.”
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are a type of macronutrient — a nutrient your body needs in large quantities to function right. Compare that to micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, which you only need in small quantities. (The other two macronutrients are protein and fat.)
Carbohydrates are your body's go-to source of fuel. They're found in large quantities things like bread, pasta, potatoes, as well as in vegetables and nuts (often in the form of fibre, a type of carb that isn't absorbed by your body but is vital for helping your digestion). Sugar is also a form of carbohydrate.
Some carbs give you slow-burning energy, while others only give you quick bursts that will soon leave you feeling flat. Generally, "natural" foods will provide the former kind of energy, while processed and high-sugar foods will provide the latter.
Fibre is a form of carbohydrate that isn't digested by the body for energy, though it's still vital to keep your insides in good nick.
RELATED: What are macronutrients? Why you need to know them to hit your health goals