Bitter and sour taste detectors also say, ‘too salty’

Salt has a split personality with its ability to enhance deliciousness or ruin a dish. Now scientists have revealed the underpinnings of salt’s dark side: Heavy doses of the seasoning trigger taste cells that detect bitter and sour flavors.

Mice without working versions of these taste cells find high levels of saltiness appetizing rather than repugnant, scientists report in the Feb.