Browse: Home / fructose / Fat cats don’t do sugar

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Sound bites
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Contact

Fat cats don’t do sugar

Posted by Dr Sandy on in fructose | 532 Views | 2 Responses
WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet
Pin
Share

cat having trouble enjoying a sweetIf only I was cat women.

I am not really coveting her nine lives etc. The kitty characteristic I yearn for is tied up in the taste buds.

The average pussy cat can’t taste sugar !

Sweet blind and loving it

Cats, both domestic and wild, are unable to taste sweet compounds because the gene that programmes the sweet taste receptor is defective.

The loss of this receptor has not left the average pussy cat feeling miffed and deprived. Mother Nature ordained the feline to be an OBLIGATE carnivore i.e. cats ONLY eat meat.

Not sure, pet food companies received this memo from Mother Nature, ingredients of modern day cat food often fall short on meat and err towards potatoes and things.

Not just a cat thing

Researchers from Monell Chemical Senses Centre looked at several other animals, to see which other animals would intuitively say NO, to sweet things.

The team discovered lots of meat eaters did not DO SUGAR. A biological surprise, since it was believed that tasting sugar was pretty much part of the mammal wiring i.e. ALL mammals did it.

Sweet is OUT, for :  sea lions, fur seals, Pacific harbour seals, Asian otters, spotted hyena, gossa and banded lingsangs

Sweet is IN, for :  the aardwolf, Canandian otters, spectacled bears, raccoons and red wolves

Use it or lose it

Since Asian otters CAN’T, and Canadian otters CAN – the sugar taste “problem” is species specific. In fact, the researchers discovered that each species had a different “mistake” in their sweet receptor gene.

The presence of so many random mistakes, suggests when it comes to taste perception – it all boils down to use it or lose it.

Pity it is not a human thing

Sweet is IN, BIG TIME, for humans. And modern man is definitely using it.

Of course, Mother Nature never intended us to be exclusively meat eaters, we’re generally considered all rounders (omnivores). Vegetarians being the exception – falling into the herbivorous category. LOL.

Lapping up that sugar

Too much sugar, especially fruit sugar (fructose) is definitely a big contributor to poor health.

  • it triggers metabolic imbalances by inducing leptin resistance,
  • then packs the fat into the fat cells and
  • torments big toes i.e. causes gout, by raising uric acid levels
  • sends the blood pressure spirallying precipitating heart breakdowns .

But it tastes so…………………………… GOOD. And when you’re feeling stressed, it tastes even better.

Don’t you wish you were a cat ?

Major taste loss in carnivorous mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2012) 109 (13) 4956-4961 . Peihua Jiang, Jesusa Josue, Xia Li, Dieter Glaser, Weihua Li, Joseph G. Brand, Robert F. Margolskee, Danielle R. Reed, and Gary K. Beauchamp.
 

Interested in learning more about the chemistry behind those cravings ?

Subcribe to E-spoons, to get e-mail updates once a month to learn how to keep your body chemistry balanced so you can tame that sugar gremlin. 

View previous E-spoons.

Close

NOTE : Privacy & spam policy. Spoonful of Science will not rent, trade or sell the e-mail list to anyone. You can unsubscribe at any time by following the unsubscribe link.

Know someone who will find this post useful ? Share it on facebook, linkedin, twitter

Further reading

rat under the influence of toxoplasma tired eyes see things differently sugar silencing the orexin alarm clock
Why rats commit suicide by jumping in front of hungry cats Are your tired eyes causing you to crave sugar ? Are your snacking habits hitting the snooze button on the brain alarm clock ?

The 7 Big Spoons™…. are master switches that turn health on.

balance eicosanoids rein in insulin dial down stress sleep vitamin D microflora think
Balance Eicosanoids Rein in insulin Dial down stress Sleep ! Increase Vit D Culivate microflora Think champion

Hire Dr Sandy from a Spoonful of Science to be the keynote speaker at your next event.

Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below

Share Button
WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet
Pin
Share
Posted in fructose | Tagged cats, fat, fat cells, gout, heart, leptin resistance, metabolic imbalances, sugar, sweet meat eaters, sweet receptor, taste, uric acid, vegetarians

Sugar gremlins are REAL

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

willpower report
  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20091 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19390 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    18940 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16677 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15472 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • acetylcholine offering a flower as insulin knocks on door

    Improving sugar control requires better pipes NOT MORE INSULIN

    / Dr Sandy
  • If you’re glucose intolerant ALWAYS carry an apple with you for EMERGENCIES

    / Dr Sandy
  • sandman whipping up a fall asleep potion

    Hot eyes fall asleep faster

    / Dr Sandy
  • HOT or COLD – which is better metabolically speaking ?

    / Dr Sandy
  • A eye healthy diet should include eggs

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Book an appointment with Spoonful of Science using SetMore
Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
google plus 40
linkedin 40
meetup 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20091 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19390 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    18940 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Redirect Stakk
Thank You

Beat your SUGAR CRAVINGS, using biology, NOT psychology

Download our FREE REPORT entitled, "How to get the Willpower you Need to Trump Sugar's Power"

  • Do you have a sugar gremlin ?
  • Discover the biology behind sugar gremlins
  • Learn about the 10 weapons you can use to TAME YOUR SUGAR GREMLIN

Get instant access

WhatsApp
Reddit
Share
More
Tweet