Jin Zhang, Ph.D. – 2026

Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern, affecting about 20% of children and adolescents in the United States. One of the main contributors to obesity is excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks. Many families try to reduce sugar intake by switching to artificial sweeteners. However, research shows that people who drink diet beverages are still at high risk for obesity. It is not yet clear why both sugar and artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain, making this an urgent area of research.

Our study focuses on how diet alters sweet taste. The tongue has specialized cells called taste receptor cells that detect flavors like sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Our research in mice treated throughout adolescence suggests that eating sugar or artificial sweeteners changes the proportion of different cell types within the taste pathway. We found that sweet diets increase the number of sweet-sensing taste cells and one type of supporting cell in the tongue. These changes may increase cravings for sweet foods and decrease the intensity of sweet taste signals sent to the brain.

We will study two key questions: (1) Do these changes reduce how sweetness is perceived? We will measure how diet affects taste signaling by examining how these cells communicate with their innervating neurons. We hypothesize that increased development of supporting cells reduces sweet sensing, leading mice to consume more sugar to satisfy their cravings. (2) Does eating a lot of sweet foods change how taste cells develop? We will track how taste receptor cells and supporting cells form in the tongue and determine whether sugar or artificial sweeteners increase the number of these cells.

Understanding how diet reshapes taste perception can help us find new ways to prevent overeating and obesity. If we learn how sugar and artificial sweeteners reprogram taste at an early age, we can develop better strategies to promote healthy eating habits and reduce obesity in children.