As our expanding waistlines testify, many humans (and dther animals) prefer carbohydrates over proteins and amino acids. Ren et al now show that glucose oxidation regulates this preference independently of the taste and caloric value of a nutrient. The authors used wild-type mice and mice that lack the transient receptor potential channel (TRP)M5(Trpm5~(-1-) mice), an ion channel that is required for sweet, bitter and L-amino acid taste signalling. Unlike wild-type mice, Trpm5~(-1-) mice showed no immediate preference for a glucose solution over an isocaloric solution of serine. However, they did develop such a preference over time, which suggests that post-ingestive factors might regulate this taste-independent development of glucose preference.
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