The taste map, a human reflection on how taste works throughout our bodies. ‘Bitter receptors are also present in the large intestine. In 2009, researchers at the University of Shizuoka in Japan showed that activation of T2Rs in the colon of humans and rats stimulates the secretion of anions, inducing water to enter and causing diarrhoea. The authors suggest that this acts as a defence against dangerous organisms and irritants.

Investigating the function of the taste receptors distributed throughout the body could help clinicians tackle diseases ranging from eating disorders to diabetes. Digesting all this information will take time, but it is clear that the function of taste receptors goes far beyond the pleasure of eating chocolate cake’.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v486/n7403_supp/full/486S7a.html#bx1