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SupertasterA supertaster is a person who has an unusually strong sense of taste. It is often the cause of picky eating, but picky eaters are not necessarily supertasters, and vice versa. Origins and specifics The term originated with Dr. Alexandra Woods Logue, a psychologist and author of the book The Psychology of Eating and Drinking (ISBN 0415950090). Supertasting is physiological rather than psychological, as supertasters have much higher concentrations of taste buds on their tongue than normal tasters. Between 20% and 25% of all people are supertasters. A further 20% to 25% are nontasters, the opposite of supertasters, who have an uncommonly weak sense of taste. Both conditions are known to be genetic and hereditary. Diagnosis and treatment Reasearchers determine whether someone is a supertaster, nontaster, or normal by gauging their reaction to propylthiouracil, also known as PROP, a bitter substance used medicinally in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. A nontaster will not taste the bitterness of the propylthiouracil, while a supertaster will find it disgusting. It is also possible to make a reasonably accurate self-diagnosis at home by careful examination of the tongue and looking for the number of fungiform papillae (see external links section). There is no treatment or cure for the condition of being a supertaster or nontaster. Risks and benefits Although not directly harmful, being a supertaster is not without some risk. A tendancy to dislike certain generally beneficial foods such as green vegetables and grapefruit can make supertasters face additional risk for the conditions these foods prevent. On the positive side, however, supertasters generally don't enjoy alcohol or coffee, and thus are at considerably less risk of conditions like alcoholism and caffeine addiction. Supertasters in culture - Alternative rock group They Might Be Giants wrote and performed a song about a supertaster entitled "John Lee, Supertaster". It appears on their 2002 children's album entitled No!.
- Kibo is said to be a supertaster.
External links - BBC Supertaster Test http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/supertaster/
* Fungiform papillae examination directions http://faculty.uca.edu/~jmurray/baw2004/taste.pdf
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