The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.
Essentials: The Biology of Taste Perception & Sugar Craving | Dr. Charles Zuker
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Charles Zuker, PhD, a professor of biochemistry, molecular biophysics and neuroscience at Columbia University and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
We explore taste perception and how the brain transforms chemical signals from food into distinct taste experiences. We discuss how these taste signals shape both conscious choices and unconscious behavior, as well as how food preferences can change over time. Additionally, we discuss gut–brain signaling and explain why sugar is especially powerful at driving cravings.
Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.
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Timestamps
(00:00:00) Charles Zuker
(00:00:20) Senses & Perception
(00:02:29) Taste, 5 Taste Qualities & Dietary Needs
(00:05:49) Taste vs Flavor
(00:07:05) Sponsor: AG1
(00:07:56) Taste Buds; Bitter
(00:09:45) Sweet vs Bitter, Sensory Perception from Tongue to Brain
(00:12:47) Taste Plasticity & Changing Food Preferences
(00:14:13) Taste Modulation; Salt
(00:17:08) Sponsor: LMNT
(00:18:41) Gut-Brain Signaling
(00:23:14) Sugar Appetite & Gut-Brain Axis
(00:27:42) Sponsor: Function
(00:29:21) Artificial Sweeteners, Sugar Cravings
(00:30:37) Taste & Essential Nutrients; Highly Processed Foods; Brain & Food Choices
(00:34:11) Acknowledgements
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