Your Genes Predict Your Food Preferences

Have you ever wondered why you like eating some foods and not others? And why you enjoy sweets more than other foods? It could have something to do with your genes along with environmental influences.

In a study published in the journal of Physiology and Behavior, researchers found that children inherit ‘protein’ genes that make them like meats and fish more than other foods. However, this is changed over time to sweets in desserts, fruits, and vegetables because of environmental influences.  Therefore, if parents feed their children sweet foods, they grow to prefer them.

So is a sweet tooth inherited or do people acquire one over time? In a past post, researchers say there is a sweet tooth gene. If you put these two studies together, it may be concluded that while the taste for sweets may be influenced, there could be a gene underlying that makes someone even more susceptible to that influence. Just like with genetics of diseases, someone may have a gene for a disease, but it doesn’t mean they will necessarily develop it. Usually it takes some environmental influences to spark that gene.  Maybe someone needs to have the sweet tooth gene to enjoy sweets when presented with them.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sekimura/3736142334/)

July 31st, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Genetics and Society | (0)