How can scents trick the brain and help women control appetite?

A recent scientific study issued by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden revealed that the human brain, especially in women, can interpret some odors as if they were real tastes, as these odors are processed early in the “taste cortex” before the signals reach the areas of the brain associated with emotion and behavior, which may open new horizons for helping women control appetite and weight.

The study, published in the journal naturecommunicationsThe feeling of food is not based on taste alone, but rather it is an integrated experience known as “flavor,” which arises from the interaction of taste with smells that reach the nose through the mouth in what is known as “retrograde smell.” This mechanism explains why a woman may feel sweeter from a sugar-free drink or feel full from a smaller amount of food.

The researchers showed that the “gustatory cortex” in the brain responds to odors associated with taste in the same way as it responds to real taste, which means that odors are able to enhance the feeling of pleasure without the need for additional calories.

The study’s lead researcher, Putu Agus Khorisantono, said that this strong complementarity between smells and tastes explains why some smells stimulate appetite or, on the contrary, help with a sense of satisfaction, which may be beneficial for women seeking to manage weight or follow a healthy eating pattern.

The experiment involved 25 healthy adults who underwent training to distinguish between sweet and salty tastes, and then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions while they were exposed to tastes without taste or tastes without smell.

The results showed that odors perceived as sweet or salty activated the same brain areas responsible for actual taste, especially the areas involved in integrating sensory sensations. The researchers believe that these results may be used in the future to develop smart nutritional strategies based on scents, which will help women enjoy food while reducing overeating and supporting the maintenance of a healthy weight.