[1] All animals need sugar as their primary source of energy, hence the majority of species have developed specific neural circuits to look for, recognize, and encourage their use of it.
But scientists discovered that an animal who lacks taste receptors could nevertheless distinguish between natural sugar and artificial sweeteners and preferred the latter.
However, when given the option to choose between sugar and an artificial sweetener (such as Acesulfame potassium ) at concentrations where both are equally desirable, it initially consumes the contents of both bottles at a similar pace.
[8] The electrogenic sodium glucose co-transporter 1 (Sodium-glucose transport proteins SGLT1) or sweet taste receptors are used by neuropod cells to differentiate between a caloric sugar and a non-caloric sweetener.
Neuropod cells direct an animal's internal predilection toward the caloric sugar by translating the particular identification of the stimuli entering the stomach[9]