"In a surprising discovery, scientists have found that the heart
possesses "sweet taste" receptors, similar to those on our tongues, and
that stimulating these receptors with sweet substances can modulate the heartbeat. This research opens new avenues for understanding heart
function and potentially for developing novel treatments for heart
failure.
..
This new study is the first to identify specific "sweet taste"
receptors, known as TAS1R2 and TAS1R3, on the surface of heart muscle
cells. ...
When the researchers stimulated these receptors in both human and mouse
heart cells using aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, they
observed a significant increase in the force of heart muscle contraction
and accelerated calcium handling -- key processes for a healthy
heartbeat.
"After you eat a meal, it's been shown that your heart rate and blood
pressure actually are increasing," said Micah Yoder, a graduate student
in the lab of Jonathan Kirk at Loyola University Chicago. "Previously,
this was thought to be a neural axis that's being signaled. But we're
proposing a more direct consequence, where we have a spike in our blood
sugar after eating a meal, and that's binding to these sweet taste
receptors on the heart muscle cells, causing a difference in the
heartbeat," he added.
Intriguingly, the researchers also found that these receptors are more
abundant in the hearts of patients with heart failure, suggesting a
possible link to disease. Further investigation revealed that
stimulating the receptors triggers a cascade of molecular events within
the heart cells, involving key proteins that control calcium flow and
muscle contraction.
"During heart failure, the heart is changing its energetic landscape and prioritizing glucose uptake and glucose usage. So, it's possible that
during this energetic change, the heart might need to change its
nutrient sensing abilities to accommodate this switch," Yoder
explained."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250217133610.htm
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