According to research, the heart has “sweet taste” receptors that resemble those on our tongues. By activating these receptors with sweet substances, the heartbeat may be altered.

The finding provides fresh insights into how the heart works and may lead to the creation of innovative heart failure therapies.

These receptors are not only discovered on heart muscle, but they are also functioning, according to recent studies.

The researchers found that aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener, significantly increased the power of heart muscle contraction and hastened calcium handling, two processes essential for a healthy heartbeat, when they triggered these receptors in both human and mouse heart cells.

Although taste receptors have historically been linked to the tongue and our capacity to detect flavors, new research has shown that these receptors may also be found in other bodily areas, where they most likely serve other functions.

TAS1R2 and TAS1R3, two distinct “sweet taste” receptors found on the surface of heart muscle cells, have been identified for the first time in this new research.

“It has been demonstrated that your blood pressure and heart rate actually rise after eating,” said Micah Yoder, a graduate student working in Jonathan Kirk’s lab at Loyola University Chicago.

This was formerly believed to be a signaling neural axis.

“However, we are suggesting a more direct effect, wherein we experience a rise in blood sugar following a meal, which is binding to these sweet taste receptors on the heart muscle cells, resulting in a change in the heartbeat,” he said.

Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that people with heart failure had more of these receptors in their hearts, which may indicate a connection to the condition.

Subsequent research showed that activating the receptors sets off a series of biochemical processes in the cardiac cells that include important proteins that regulate muscle contraction and calcium flow.

Their findings may also help to explain the association between arrhythmogenesis, or an irregular heartbeat, and excessive use of artificially sweetened drinks.

Researchers discovered that overstimulation of these sweet taste receptors causes an increase in arrhythmic-like behavior in the heart cells, in addition to the fact that artificial sweeteners like aspartame specifically activate these receptors.

To completely comprehend the long-term consequences of activating these cardiac receptors and how these receptors may be targeted to strengthen the heart in the event of heart failure, further study is necessary.

The paper was scheduled to be presented in Los Angeles at the 69th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society. The Biophysical Society was founded to spearhead the advancement and sharing of biophysical knowledge.