Following up on earlier discoveries of an additional gustatory sense specific to complex carbohydrates², researchers have now found some of us more sensitive to the taste than others, which could be helping³ to fill out some of our waistlines.

继此前发现人类对于复杂碳水化合物拥有特别的味觉，研究人员现在已经发现我们中的某些人在味觉上比其他人更敏感，这可能是导致这部分人肥胖的原因。

Scientists are now pretty certain our tastebuds can actually detect the long chains of sugar making up the complex starches⁵ found in food items such as bread, pasta, and rice.

现如今，科学家们相当肯定的是，我们的味蕾可以实际检测到糖的长链，而糖分是面包、意面和米饭等食品中的复合淀粉的组成部分。

So even though we still only have five 'official' tastes, we can actually list the sensations caused by chemicals dissolving in our mouth as sweet, salty, umami (savoury, meaty flavours), bitter, fat, sour, and... starchy.

即使目前“官方”说法只有五种口味，实际上我们可以把溶解在嘴里的化学物质所引起的感觉列举为甜、咸、鲜（可口、肉味）、苦、酸、脂肪味、酸，以及淀粉味等等。

Taste sensitivity varies significantly across the population. So-called 'supertasters' experience far more intense flavour sensations. And a little more than a quarter of us – depending on our genetic⁶ background – can't even taste a compound called phenylthiourea.

不同人的口味敏感度差别很大。所谓的“超级味觉者”能够比常人品尝到更强烈的味道。另外，取决于基因差异，我们中四分之一以上的人甚至尝不出一种叫做苯硫脲的化合物。

Since our individual tasting talents vary, researchers from Deakin University in Australia were keen to put the discovery about starchy tastes to the population test.

正由于每个人的味觉天赋不同，澳大利亚迪肯大学的研究人员热衷于将淀粉味这一发现纳入人口测试。

A group of 34 adults had their bodies measured and diets detailed⁷ before and after they participated in a number of tasting sessions.

34名成年人在参加一些品尝会前后都分别被测量了身体，并记录了详细的饮食习惯。

Each subject was given solutions of a starch⁴ called maltodextrin and the soluble⁸ fibre oligofructose in different concentrations - to determine their range of sensitivities.

每个受试者都尝试了不同浓度的麦芽糖糊精淀粉溶液和水溶性纤维低聚果糖，用来确定其味觉敏感度范围。

Adding up the numbers, it was clear some volunteers were better at spotting whether they were sipping⁹ starch or fibre at low concentrations.

随着受试数量增加，很明显，溶液浓度较低的情况下，只有一部分志愿者能更好地辨认出自己是否尝到了淀粉或纤维。

On analysing the data, those who were more starch-sensitive weren't found to be bigger than the rest, having roughly the same body mass indexes.

数据分析显示，对淀粉敏感性较高的人群，其体重并没有超出其他人群，体质指数与其他人大致相当。

But their diets were higher in calories. And there was one other significant difference.

但他们的饮食习惯显示摄入的热量更高。此外还有一个显著的差异。

"Those who were most sensitive to the carbohydrate¹ taste ate more of these foods and had a larger waist."

“那些对碳水化合物味道最敏感的人摄入这类食物更多，腰围更粗。”

While numerous factors determine how fat builds up around our bellies¹⁰, the study's results suggest an ability to taste – and presumably enjoy – sugars in the form of starch make it that little bit harder for some to lose the spare tyre.

虽然许多因素决定了脂肪在腹部堆积，但研究结果表明，能能够尝淀粉或者可能喜欢淀粉形式的糖的一部分人，更不容易减去腹部的肥肉。

Excess amounts of abdominal¹¹ fat is largely considered 'the worst of the worst' when it comes to weight gain, especially where our heart is concerned.

提到体重增加，腹部脂肪过多往往被认为是“不幸中的不幸”，特别又会影响到我们的心脏。

"Increased energy intake¹², in particular greater intakes¹³ of energy-dense foods, is thought to be one of the major contributors to the global rise of overweight and obesity¹⁴, and carbohydrates represent a major source of energy in our diet," says the study's lead researcher Russell Keast.

该研究的负责人拉塞尔·吉斯特表示：“能源摄入量增加，特别是能量密度较高的食物摄入量增加被认为是全球超重和肥胖增长的主要原因之一，而碳水化合物是我们饮食中主要的能量来源。”