Why Does Food Make Your Mouth Water?

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15 Mar 201603:10
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe video script delves into the science behind why our mouths water when we smell or think about food. It explains that saliva, which is 99.5% water and contains proteins, lipids, and electrolytes, is crucial for maintaining oral health, aiding in chewing and tasting, and initiating digestion with the help of enzymes like amylase. Saliva production is controlled by a reflex system that responds to the sight, smell, or even the thought of food, triggering the brain to release neurotransmitters that signal glands to produce saliva. The video also touches on the concept of a conditioned reflex, where the brain associates certain sights or thoughts with food, leading to an automatic response of salivation, especially when one is hungry. The script concludes with an invitation for young chemists to participate in the 2016 ChemChamps Contest, emphasizing the importance of being able to communicate scientific concepts to a general audience.

Takeaways
  • 🍲 The sight and smell of food can trigger salivation due to a conditioned reflex that associates these stimuli with the anticipation of eating.
  • 💧 Saliva is composed of 99.5% water and the remaining 0.5% includes proteins, lipids, and electrolytes, which are essential for various oral functions.
  • 🕰 On average, humans produce around 30 ounces or 1-1.5 liters of saliva each day, a task performed by three major salivary glands.
  • 🦷 Saliva plays a crucial role in maintaining oral health and hygiene, aiding in the chewing and tasting of food, and initiating the digestive process.
  • 🔬 Enzymes like amylase in saliva begin the breakdown of food, making it easier for the stomach to continue the digestion.
  • 🧠 Salivation is a reflex action controlled by nerves that respond to the smell, sight, or thought of food without conscious thought.
  • 📶 Nerve signals triggered by the brain release neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and norepinephrine, which signal the salivary glands to produce saliva.
  • 🧪 There is scientific debate about the exact mechanisms of salivation in response to visual cues of food.
  • 👶 The brain learns from childhood to associate certain sights and smells with food, which can later trigger salivation upon seeing or thinking about those foods.
  • 🍴 For salivation to occur, there must be a belief that the food seen, smelled, or imagined will be consumed, especially if the person is already hungry.
  • 📸 Visual depictions of food, like social media photos, may not cause salivation unless there is a personal connection or invitation to partake.
  • 🏆 Young chemists aged 35 or under are encouraged to enter the 2016 ChemChamps Contest to showcase their ability to explain science to a general audience.
Q & A

  • What is the primary component of saliva?

    -The primary component of saliva is water, making up 99.5% of its composition.

  • What are the other components found in the 0.5% of saliva besides water?

    -The remaining 0.5% of saliva is composed of proteins, lipids, and electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride.

  • How much saliva does the human body produce in a day?

    -The human body produces around 30 ounces or approximately 1-1.5 liters of saliva every 24 hours.

  • What are the roles of saliva in the body?

    -Saliva plays several roles including maintaining oral and dental health, aiding in the chewing and tasting of food, and initiating the digestion process.

  • Which enzyme in saliva assists in the breakdown of food?

    -Amylase is the enzyme in saliva that helps break down food, particularly starches, before it reaches the stomach.

  • Why does saliva production increase when we smell, see, or think about food?

    -Saliva production increases due to a reflex system that fires nerves controlling saliva production without conscious thought when we are eating or are exposed to food-related stimuli.

  • What signals are sent to the brain when we are about to eat food?

    -When we are about to eat, a signal is sent to the brain's primary salivary centers in the medulla, which then releases neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and norepinephrine to initiate saliva production.

  • What is the term for the learned response that causes our mouths to water at the sight or thought of food?

    -The learned response is called a conditioned reflex, where the brain associates certain sights or thoughts with the presence of food and the anticipation of eating.

  • What must a person believe for their mouth to water at the sight, smell, or thought of food?

    -A person must believe that they are going to be able to eat the food they are seeing, smelling, or imagining for their mouth to water.

  • What is the 2016 ChemChamps Contest looking for?

    -The 2016 ChemChamps Contest is looking for young chemists, aged 35 or under, who can explain their science to non-scientists in a video format.

  • How can one enter the 2016 ChemChamps Contest?

    -To enter the 2016 ChemChamps Contest, participants should visit www.acs.org/chemchamps for instructions and rules on how to submit their video.

  • What is the significance of saliva in the digestion process?

    -Saliva is significant in the digestion process as it contains enzymes like amylase that start breaking down food, making it easier for the stomach to continue the digestion process.

Outlines
00:00
🍲 Saliva's Role in Food Cravings

This paragraph explains why our mouths start to water when we smell or see food. It details the composition of saliva, which is mostly water with a small percentage of proteins, lipids, and electrolytes. The saliva production is controlled by a reflex system that activates without conscious thought, triggered by the smell, sight, or even the thought of food. The brain responds by releasing neurotransmitters, initiating the production of saliva. The concept of a conditioned reflex is introduced, where past experiences with food associate certain sights and smells with the anticipation of eating, leading to salivation even when the food is not immediately available.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Saliva
Saliva is a fluid produced by the salivary glands in the mouth, which is composed of 99.5% water and the remaining 0.5% includes proteins, lipids, and electrolytes. In the video, it is highlighted as essential for maintaining oral hygiene, aiding in the chewing and tasting of food, and initiating the digestion process through enzymes like amylase. Saliva production is linked to the body's reflex system, which is triggered by the smell, sight, or thought of food, causing an automatic response to produce more saliva in anticipation of eating.
💡Electrolytes
Electrolytes are charged atoms or molecules, such as sodium, potassium, and chloride, which are present in the saliva. They play a crucial role in various bodily functions, including the conduction of nerve impulses and the maintenance of fluid balance. In the context of the video, electrolytes are part of the composition of saliva, contributing to its function in digestion and oral health.
💡Amylase
Amylase is an enzyme found in saliva that helps break down starches into simpler sugars. This enzyme is crucial for the initial step of the digestion process. In the video, it is mentioned as an example of how saliva assists in digestion by starting the breakdown of food before it reaches the stomach.
💡Reflex System
A reflex system is an automatic response to a specific stimulus, mediated by the nervous system. In the video, the reflex system is described as the mechanism by which saliva production is triggered without conscious thought when encountering food-related stimuli such as smell, sight, or even the movement of jaw muscles.
💡Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another. In the script, acetylcholine and norepinephrine are mentioned as neurotransmitters released by the brain to initiate nerve signals that tell the salivary glands to produce saliva, particularly in response to the anticipation of eating.
💡Conditioned Reflex
A conditioned reflex is a learned response to a stimulus that becomes associated with a particular outcome. In the video, it is suggested as one explanation for why people salivate at the sight or thought of food. The brain associates certain visual cues with the experience of eating and the subsequent release of saliva, even if the food is not immediately available.
💡Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a part of the brain that plays a key role in regulating many bodily functions, including the release of hormones and the control of appetite. In the context of the video, the hypothalamus is involved in the conditioned reflex that causes the mouth to water when one sees or thinks about food.
💡Digestion
Digestion is the process by which food is broken down in the body into smaller components that can be absorbed and used for energy or other bodily functions. The video emphasizes the role of saliva in the initial phase of digestion, particularly through the action of the enzyme amylase.
💡Salivary Glands
Salivary glands are the glands in the mouth responsible for producing saliva. They are mentioned in the video as the source of the approximately 1-1.5 liters of saliva produced daily, which is essential for health, digestion, and the sensory experience of food.
💡ChemChamps Contest
The ChemChamps Contest is a competition mentioned in the video that seeks to engage young chemists, encouraging them to explain their science to a non-scientific audience. It is used in the video as a call to action for viewers to participate and potentially be featured in a Reactions video.
💡Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in various bodily functions, including muscle contractions and the activation of salivary glands, as mentioned in the video. It is one of the chemicals released by the brain to initiate the production of saliva in response to food-related stimuli.
💡Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is a neurotransmitter and hormone involved in the body's stress response and also plays a role in the initiation of saliva production, as discussed in the video script. It works alongside acetylcholine to stimulate the salivary glands in anticipation of eating.
Highlights

Saliva is 99.5% water, with the remaining 0.5% consisting of proteins, lipids, and electrolytes.

Three glands produce around 30 ounces (1-1.5 liters) of saliva per day.

Saliva plays multiple roles including maintaining oral health, aiding in chewing and tasting food, and initiating digestion.

Enzymes in saliva like amylase help break down food before it reaches the stomach.

Saliva production increases during eating due to a reflex system controlled by nerves.

Smells, tastes, and jaw muscle movement can activate the saliva production reflex.

When anticipating food, signals are sent to the brain's primary salivary centers in the medulla.

Neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and norepinephrine are released to initiate saliva production.

There is scientific debate about whether or how our mouths water at the sight of food.

One explanation is the conditioned reflex, where the brain associates certain sights or thoughts with tasty food.

Believing you will eat the food you see, smell, or imagine is necessary for mouth watering to occur.

Being hungry can enhance the mouth watering response to food stimuli.

Just thinking about food without the expectation of eating it does not typically cause a salivary response.

The 2016 ChemChamps Contest is inviting young chemists worldwide to explain their science to non-scientists.

Participants should be 35 or under to enter the contest.

The contest aims to find chemists who can communicate their work effectively to a general audience.

Instructions and rules for the 2016 ChemChamps Contest can be found at www.acs.org/chemchamps.

Transcripts

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Saliva ScienceDigestionConditioned ReflexFood CravingsNeurotransmittersHealth HygieneTaste SensationSmell TriggersChemChamps ContestScience ExplainedHadi Fares