According to a recent study, there is a correlation between sweet flavors and stress that may be more biological than mental. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center found receptors for stress-activated hormones in, you guessed it, the human mouth.

Receptors for stress-activated hormones have been localized in the human taste buds responsible for sweet, umami, and bitter flavors, Medical Daily reported with reference to Newswise. In the study, published online in the journal Neuroscience Letters, researchers explain how they believe this may suggest these hormones, known as glucocorticoids, affect how our taste buds respond to sugars.  “Our results may provide a molecular mechanism to help explain why some people eat more sugary foods when they are experiencing intense stress,” said lead author Dr. M. Rockwell Parker, a chemical ecologist at Monell.

These glucocorticoids, or GC receptors, are specifically localized to the cells that are involved in tasting sweet umami (a pleasant savory flavor) and bitter foods. The highest concentration of GCs were found on taste buds especially sensitive to sweet and umami tastes. 

Results showed that stressed mice had a 77 percent increase of GC receptors in taste cell nuclei.