According to a U. S. researcher, sensitivity to sweetness is linked to the hormone glucagon.

The data suggest susceptibility to sweetness might have to do with a person's metabolic state or nutritional needs, says study author Steven Munger of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

It has been reported that Munger and colleagues experimented with mice and found blocking the tongue's ability to respond to glucagons, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that acts in opposition to insulin and raises blood glucose levels, decreased sensitivity to sweetness.

Published in the Federation for American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, the study found using a drug to block mice receptor cells for glucagon made the mice less responsive to the sweet solution offered.

Munger says in a statement, "An interesting possibility resulting from our research is that the development of new food additives could change the way you perceive your food, making it taste more or less sweet. From a food industry perspective, such additives could be used to enhance flavor. From a therapeutic perspective, they could be used to treat patients who under-eat or overeat." (With Inputs from Agencies)