Taste Perception, Race, and Ethnicity: A Novel Link to Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk?

The search for biological attributes that contribute to the obesity epidemic in the United States that disproportionately affects racial and ethnic groups is of great public health importance. The understanding of taste perception, its influence on eating behavior, and its contribution to obesity and obesity-related disease has increased with research in taste physiology and genetics. Additionally, newer methods for psychophysical assessments of taste perception and preference allow for valid comparisons across groups. Emerging evidence of ethnic differences in sensory taste experiences provide the basis for future studies to explore the mechanisms by which taste may contribute to existing health disparities and differences in cardiometabolic risk.