Understanding What is the Sweet and Salty Effect?
                                
                                
                                •
                                
                                
                        
                                    
                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                Recent research published in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* found that certain sugar receptors on the tongue are actually activated only when salt is present, helping to explain the profound biological appeal of this flavor combination. But what is the sweet and salty effect, and why has it become such a mainstay in our diets?