Carbonation alters the brain's perception of sweetness, researchers argue

Sep 18, 2013 01:46 GMT  ·  By
Carbonation makes it nearly impossible for the brain to tell the difference between diet and normal drinks
   Carbonation makes it nearly impossible for the brain to tell the difference between diet and normal drinks

According to a new paper in the journal Gastroenterology, there is one very simple reason why most people cannot tell the difference between diet and normal soft drinks.

Apparently, this does not happen because soda manufacturers are extraordinarily gifted at their job. On the contrary, it's because of carbonation.

Researchers say that, according to evidence at hand, carbonation toys with the way in which the human brain perceives sweetness.

This means that, in the case of carbonated drinks, the brain cannot figure out which are made with sugar and which contain artificial sweeteners.

“The right combination of carbonation and artificial sweeteners can leave the sweet taste of diet drinks indistinguishable from normal drinks,” study author Rosario Cuomo says, as cited by EurekAlert.

“Tricking the brain about the type of sweet could be advantageous to weight loss – it facilitates the consumption of low-calorie drinks because their taste is perceived as pleasant as the sugary, calorie-laden drink,” he goes on to argue.

The only downside is that, because the brain can no longer tell when the body is getting sugar, it can happen that the energy balance gets disturbed, and that people start craving more soft drinks and food than they normally would.

Rosario Cuomo and his colleagues suspect this is why eating disorders, metabolic diseases and obesity tend to be more common among people who regularly drink soda.