Book 2, Question 62
Why Does Sugar Taste Sweet?
Sugar tastes sweet because your tongue has special sweet sensors. They tag sugar as a useful fuel signal. And your brain says, yum, that is good energy!
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 2
More fun facts
- Sugar tastes sweet because its molecules fit onto sweet receptors on your tongue.
- Sugars are the body's main source of energy.
- Table sugar is made of two smaller sugars joined together: glucose and fructose.
- Babies show delight the very first time they taste sugar.
- Even some bacteria swim toward sweeter liquids, so a sweet tooth may go back a very long way.
- Our sense of sweet is fairly weak, while our sense of bitter is one of our strongest tastes.
- The average person has about 10,000 taste buds.
Sources: Science News Explores, Smithsonian Magazine, KidsHealth (Nemours)
Questions kids ask
Why do people love sweet foods?
Our brains link sweetness with sugar, which is a great source of energy.