Glossary
Umami
The savory taste of amino acids, named by Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 after he isolated monosodium glutamate from kombu. Its receptor shares a protein with the sweet receptor.
Published Updated
Where this comes from
In the reference topic that owns this term
Reference topic 15, The Tongue and the Nose, states the mismatch as a card: what the system evolved to expect, what it gets instead, and what happens in the gap.
Mismatch card
- What it expects
Sugar wrapped in fiber, bitter and sour plants, and a nose used daily to find food and judge freshness.
- What it gets
Sugar dissolved in drinks at all hours, debittered crops, sweeteners, polluted air, smoke, viruses and an underused nose.
- What happens in the gap
Easy sugar overconsumption, lost bitter warnings, and unnoticed smell loss linked to higher mortality.
What that chapter recommends
3 of the 6 graded recommendations in Reference topic 15, strongest evidence first. How the grades work.
Make water your default drink
StrongEvidence grade: Strong. Multiple randomized controlled trials, or consistent large cohort studies with a well-understood mechanism.One 12-ounce cola exceeds the WHO's stricter target, under 5% of energy or roughly 25 g of free sugars a day.
Cut salt gradually
ProbableEvidence grade: Probable. Good observational evidence with a plausible mechanism, or small or few trials.In small studies, preferred saltiness fell after two to three months of a 30-50% reduction. On blood-pressure or kidney medication, change salt intake only with your clinician.
Do not count on a sweet tooth fading
ProbableEvidence grade: Probable. Good observational evidence with a plausible mechanism, or small or few trials.In a trial of 33 adults, three months of eating much less sugar made puddings taste about 40% sweeter than they did to controls, but no more pleasant.
The argument behind this term, its studies and its notes are in Reference topic 15 of the reference library. The book gives the practical version. Get the book.