Summary: Researchers report that drinking a savory, umami-rich broth produces subtle neurobiological changes that may support healthier eating behaviors and better food choices.
Source: BIDMC.
Consuming a broth high in umami—the savory taste associated with glutamate—appears to trigger subtle brain changes that encourage healthier eating patterns and food choices, particularly in women at higher risk of obesity.
Umami, a Japanese term for a pleasant savory flavor, is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. A key contributor to umami is free glutamate, a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid found widely in foods, and especially abundant in protein-rich foods such as dairy, fish, and meat.
Earlier experimental work has shown that drinking a broth or soup enhanced with monosodium glutamate (MSG), the sodium salt of glutamate, before a meal can reduce appetite and subsequent food intake. Those effects were most prominent in women prone to overeating and weight gain. In a study published March 30 in Neuropsychopharmacology, investigators measured neurocognitive and behavioral changes in healthy young women after they consumed chicken broth with or without added MSG.
The research team used three objective laboratory measures to detect changes linked to eating behavior: a computerized task that assesses inhibitory control (a core executive process needed for self-regulation of eating); a buffet meal where participants ate freely while wearing eye-tracking glasses to record gaze patterns; and functional neuroimaging to record brain activity while participants made food choices.
After drinking the umami-enhanced broth, participants showed improved performance on the inhibitory control task, displayed more focused and sustained gaze patterns while choosing foods at the buffet, and exhibited greater activation in a brain region associated with self-control during dietary decisions. Women categorized as having higher risk for obesity also selected meals with less saturated fat after the umami broth intake.
“Previous research in humans relied largely on subjective appetite ratings. In this study we replicated the beneficial effects of umami broths on eating behavior and extended those findings using objective laboratory measures in women at higher risk of obesity,” said senior author Miguel Alonso-Alonso, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Center for the Study of Nutrition Medicine in BIDMC’s Department of Surgery. He added that while many studies have explored how sweet tastes and sugar affect the brain, the neurocognitive effects of savory tastes like umami have been understudied.
These findings suggest new approaches to support healthier eating in the general population. Traditional practices in many cultures encourage drinking a broth before meals; this study raises the possibility that an umami-rich broth might help individuals at elevated risk for obesity make healthier choices and reduce intake of less nutritious foods. The authors caution, however, that the study measured immediate effects in a controlled laboratory setting. Future research is needed to determine whether repeated or sustained consumption of umami-rich broths produces lasting changes in eating behavior or contributes to weight loss over time.
Funding: The study received support from a grant from Ajinomoto Inc., which did not participate in the study design, analysis, or manuscript preparation. Additional support came from the Harvard Catalyst/Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (grant numbers 8UL1TR000170-05 and 1UL1TR001102-01).
Source: Jacqueline Mitchell – BIDMC
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Abstract for “Neurocognitive effects of umami: association with eating behavior and food choice” by Greta Magerowski, Gabrielle Giacona, Laura Patriarca, Konstantinos Papadopoulos, Paola Garza-Naveda, Joanna Radziejowska & Miguel Alonso-Alonso in Neuropsychopharmacology. Published March 20, 2018.
DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0044-6
BIDMC. “Savory Foods May Promote Healthy Eating Through Effects on the Brain.” NeuroscienceNews. Published July 6, 2018.
Abstract
Neurocognitive effects of umami: association with eating behavior and food choice
Free glutamate, the compound that largely underlies the umami taste, serves several physiological roles tied to energy balance. Prior experiments indicate that consuming a broth or soup fortified with monosodium glutamate (MSG) before a meal can reduce appetite and food intake, especially among women prone to overeating and weight gain. This study explored potential neurocognitive mechanisms behind that effect by comparing responses after consumption of chicken broth with MSG versus without MSG in healthy young women.
Participants completed a food-modified computerized inhibitory control task, a buffet meal test with eye-tracking to record gaze and choice behavior, and a food-choice paradigm during functional neuroimaging. Results showed improvement in measures of inhibitory control following the MSG-enhanced broth, particularly among subjects with higher levels of eating disinhibition. Those same participants also ate less saturated fat at the buffet. The MSG condition reduced the rate of gaze shifts between plates during the meal, indicating more focused attention on chosen foods, and increased activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region previously linked to successful self-control during dietary decisions. Together, these preliminary findings suggest that glutamate (MSG) may facilitate executive cognitive processes that support healthier eating behavior and food choice.