Dr. Charles Zuker: The Biology of Taste Perception & Sugar Craving | Huberman Lab Podcast #81

My guest this episode is Dr. Charles Zuker, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biophysics and Neuroscience at Columbia University and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Zuker is the world’s leading expert in the biology of taste, thirst and craving. His laboratory explores the mechanisms of taste perception, focusing on how our conscious and unconscious processing of specific foods and nutrients guide our actions and behaviors. We discuss the neural circuits of taste, the “gut-brain axis,” the basis of food cravings and the key difference between wanting (craving) and liking (perceiving) sugar. We also explore how taste perception relates to specific food satiety, thirst, to our emotions, and expectation. We also consider how sugar containing and highly-processed foods can hijack the natural balance of the taste and digestive systems. Dr. Zuker provides a true masterclass in the biology of taste and perception that ought to be of interest to anyone curious about how the brain works, our motivated behaviors and the neural, chemical perceptual aspects of the mind. #HubermanLab #Sugar #Taste Thank you to our sponsors Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman ROKA: https://roka.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Social & Website Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Subscribe to the Huberman Lab Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3thCToZ Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PYzuFs Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3amI809 Other platforms: https://hubermanlab.com/follow Dr. Charles Zuker Columbia Zuckerman Institute: https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/ch... Lab website: https://www.zukerlab.com Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) profile: https://www.hhmi.org/scientists/charles-s-... Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Charles Zuker & Taste Perception 00:03:05 Momentous Supplements 00:04:35 Thesis, ROKA, Helix Sleep 00:08:35 Sensory Detection vs. Sensory Perception 00:11:48 Individual Variations within Perception, Color 00:16:20 Perceptions & Behaviors 00:20:19 The 5 Taste Modalities 00:26:18 Aversive Taste, Bitter Taste 00:28:00 Survival-Based & Evolutionary Reasons for Taste Modalities, Taste vs. Flavor 00:30:14 Additional Taste Modalities: Fat & Metallic Perception 00:34:02 Tongue “Taste Map,” Taste Buds & Taste Receptors 00:39:34 Burning Your Tongue & Perception 00:42:54 The “Meaning” of Taste Stimuli, Sweet vs. Bitter, Valence 00:51:55 Positive vs. Negative Neuronal Activation & Behavior 00:56:16 Acquired Tastes, Conditioned Taste Aversion 01:01:44 Olfaction (Smell)