A report says that it’s a respond from digestive system if you feel ill with bitter-tasting food.

The researchers from the University of California, Irvine examined mice and found that usually body takes bitterness as toxins and these flavors cause a slow down in digestive process that help to keep bad food in the stomach for longer duration with the chances of expelling it out. It also boosts the production of such a hormone as causes the feeling of satiety to avoid eating more toxic food.

The researchers believe that just like these mice, the human body can also react the same way. The findings have been published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on Oct.9 issue.Timothy Osborne, who led the study, says: “We have found those mechanisms that fight the ingestion of toxins in our food.”

The study suggests that the production of a hormone called cholecystokinin is stimulated by the bitter taste receptors in the gut. Cholecystokinin decreases hunger and slows down the transfer of food from the stomach to the small intestine.

The researchers also noticed that the bitter-taste receptors were also regulated by cholesterol and their low levels triggered a stronger receptor response. In other words, they worked better with lower levels while high levels caused weaker response.

The researchers believe that their findings would help scientists to develop better therapies for a number of diseases.