ArticleNature metabolism2021
Umami-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome is mediated by nucleotide degradation and uric acid generation.
Article in Nature metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 92 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Microbiome histidine competition mediates dietary control of systemic imidazole propionate.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Serum uric acid and its metabolism-a vital factor in the inflammatory transformation of cancer.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Association Between Salt Intake and Body Adiposity in Chinese Population: A Repeated-Measures Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2026Observational
- Umami induces pulmonary epithelial senescence via L-glutamic acid-triggered minority MOMP.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- A Novel Risk Score Based on Lipid-Related Biomarkers for Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Multicenter Machine Learning Study.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Article
- New Insight Into Male Infertility: Deviation From Basic Tenets of Life.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2026Review
- Berberine combined with stachyose protects against obesity by modulating gut microbiota and increasing leptin sensitivity.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Article
- Region-Specific Adult Neural Stem Cell Niches of the Mediobasal Hypothalamus and Medulla Oblongata.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2026Review
- Morin Alleviates Fructose-Driven Disturbance of Podocyte Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism by Inhibiting Adenosine 5'-Monophosphate Deaminase Activity to Improve Glomerular Injury.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Taste Propensity in Obese and Nonobese Older Adults.Aging medicine (Milton (N.S.W)) · 2025Article
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- Association between serum uric acid levels and primary aldosteronism.BMC nephrology · 2025Article
- Gender differences in the predictive value of serum uric acid for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a retrospective cohort study.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Article
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- An integrated metabolomics-flavoromics analysis reveals flavor diversity in indigenous and hybrid cattle via UHPLC-MS/MS and GC×GC-TOF-MS.Food chemistry: X · 2025Article
- Monosodium glutamate: A hidden risk factor for obesity?Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Review
- Mechanism Study on the Preventive Effect of ELITEA Compound Tea on Hyperuricemia in Rats Based on Serum Untargeted Metabolomics.Metabolites · 2025Article
- The role of Triglyceride Glucose-Waist Circumference (TyG_WC) in predicting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease among individuals with hyperuricemia.BMC gastroenterology · 2025Article
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8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Umami refers to the savoury taste that is mediated by monosodium glutamate (MSG) and enhanced by inosine monophosphate and other nucleotides. Umami foods have been suggested to increase the risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome but the mechanism is not understood. Here we show that MSG induces obesity, hypothalamic inflammation and central leptin resistance in male mice through the induction of AMP deaminase 2 and purine degradation. Mice lacking AMP deaminase 2 in both hepatocytes and neurons are protected from MSG-induced metabolic syndrome. This protection can be overcome by supplementation with inosine monophosphate, most probably owing to its degradation to uric acid as the effect can be blocked with allopurinol. Thus, umami foods induce obesity and metabolic syndrome by engaging the same purine nucleotide degradation pathway that is also activated by fructose and salt consumption. We suggest that the three tastes-sweet, salt and umami-developed to encourage food intake to facilitate energy storage and survival but drive obesity and diabetes in the setting of excess intake through similar mechanisms.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.