Botox causes less nerve activity. As a protein it might be possible to come up with a variety of variants, possibly some that only effect one flavor. Swishing botox around the mouth might strongly lessen food flavors, causing spontaneously reduced calorie intake.
Also, I read that taste buds regenerate after 7 days, so it is likely you could quit anytime and return to a normal flavor perception. if it worked really well it might be possible to just block umami, which would sort of preclude salty fried food savorinesss. Fast food would taste blander.
Another benefit of this is that the FDA has already approved botox for a variety of applications, so the mouth rinse might be quite rapid to develop and get approval.-- beanangel, Feb 02 2017 The Science:health:dieting:taste section seems to have a few of these! at least the botox one says how it works... The_20Detasting_20Pill [beanangel, Feb 02 2017] Your own, even Pill causes vegetarianism [notexactly, Mar 04 2017] Give it go, [beany], and let us now how it works out.
But seriously, I don't think flavour correlates with obesity. In Italy, for example, a lot of the food has intense and delicious flavours, yet many Italians are thin. Conversely, in the US, most food has less (and simpler) flavour, yet obesity is rife.
Also please note that the mouth makes only a small contribution to the perception of flavour (specifically, the tongue senses taste, which is only a small component of flavour). On the other hand, the mouth is largely responsible for detecting salt, sugar and (through mouth-feel) fat. It may be, therefore, that people would prefer extra salt, fat and sugar after they'd rinsed with botox.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 02 2017 Yes, go on, you know you want to. Don't spit, swallow ...
// Fast food would taste blander. //
Errr ... how ?-- 8th of 7, Feb 02 2017 " Also, I read that taste buds regenerate after 7 days, so it is likely you could quit anytime "
I may be addicted to brake fluid, but I can stop at any time.-- normzone, Feb 02 2017 Hahaha ... we saw what you did there.-- 8th of 7, Feb 02 2017 Maybe try this first with a non-permanent acetylcholine blocker or antagonist.-- bungston, Feb 03 2017 I think everyone is overlooking the fact that obesity tends to be commonest in populations where the food is the blandest.
One of the reasons the Atkins diet works, probably, is that the foods tend to be quite rich and flavoursome, and therefore create a feeling of indulgence and satiety sooner than carb-rich junk. Maybe the American obesity problem arises because people's subconsciouses are trying to get a given amount of real nutrition, and that nutrition is diluted out by the vast amounts of sugar and HFCS that's put in everything.
MaxCo., therefore, will be launching its rival product - a multifactorial agonist that turns perceived flavour up to 11. If chocolate tasted a hundred times chocolatier, how much of it could you eat?*
(*[8th], please do not answer this question.)-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 03 2017 [Max], please do, be my guest with MSG+Chocolate. I'll buy the first case, and the pre-paid medical assistance thereafter required.-- absterge, Feb 03 2017 random, halfbakery