Taste receptors warn the brain not to let toxins into the body. Because we ingest so much crap, most contemporary humans have messed-up taste capacity.

Desirable taste causes people to compulsively overeat, and compulsive overeating causes weight gain.

MSG goes by many aliases, appears in almost every processed food product, and is virtually inescapable.

The tricky part with MSG (glutamate) is that it appears on food labeling under several dozen terms, some of them very innocent-sounding.

As time goes on, researchers become more adept at pinpointing the exact mechanisms by which glutamic acid works its dark magic.

Some studies show processed MSG might be linked to childhood obesity.

A majority of food adulteration is motivated by greed. In present-day America, there is no excuse for adding sawdust to grated cheese.

When taste receptors are triggered by certain kinds of chemical molecules, they in turn tell the body to mobilize a defense mechanism.

But is fat technically a taste, or more of an oral sensation, belonging to a different sense, touch? The jury is still out.

The problem with food additives, of which salt is one, is that they make food delicious, so some people eat too much and grow obese.

The key to umami is more than MSG. It takes a couple of other substances too, and, as it turns out, umami tastes awful on its own.

Although the pathways of causation are not clear, researchers have noted that inflammation and obesity are often associated.

MSG makes food more tempting, which is a problem because most of the humans on the planet appear to already find food much too tempting.

This post finalizes the summary of posts about the intersection of overuse with tobacco, alcohol, and food. One area not covered yet is the presence of pharmacological intervention in tobacco, alcohol, and food limitation, so we have that to look forwa …

What can be learned from attempts to limit alcohol and tobacco addiction, and how do we apply that experience to curbing food overconsumption, and thus obesity?

This series of “zipping” posts summarizes all the articles that explore the intersections between alcohol, tobacco, food, and threats to the public good.

What methods might carry over from smoking cessation programs and alcohol interventions to help prevent obesity?

Being capable of delivering junk food, soda, cigarettes, and even alcoholic beverages, vending machines are an obesity villain.

Can anti-obesity efforts, especially those imposed by government orders, borrow from smoking cessation efforts or programs designed to end alcohol addiction?

Is it wrong to appeal to large, perspiring women on the basis that the product will make them smell less offensive, especially when the product might be unsafe?

We know talcum powder causes inflammation. The question is, does talc cause cancer by causing inflammation in the ovaries?

According to the American Cancer Society, some talc contains asbestos, a known carcinogen when inhaled.

One possible choice is to accept it quietly that you can only go so far while trying to lose weight. Another is to cross into the militant advocacy of obesity.

A University of Cape Town neuroscientist Dr. David Hume discusses microbiome and the immune system in relation to dietary choices and obesity intervention.

“Food Psych” podcast creator Christy Harrison says that food is food, and it’s time to stop labeling with our brains and start listening to our intuition.

Even with all the research, is it too soon to say of any particular factor that it does or does not influence obesity, or how extensive that influence may be?

Many childhood obesity villains have been named as suspects and, regarding most of them, the jury is still out. A recent study names three.

This is a continuation of the list of posts that examine the parallels between tobacco, alcohol, and the overconsumption of food.

Can measures designed to reduce smoking and drinking also work against overeating?

Even with problems that seem comparable, like the widespread use of tobacco and alcohol, it is surprisingly difficult to transfer solutions to other areas.