Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Genes May Give Some a Taste for Alcohol
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MONDAY, Nov. 15 (HealthDayNews) -- Genetically influenced variations in the way that people taste alcohol could interact with other factors to determine a person's risk of developing a drinking problem. Researchers examined the association between a newly discovered taste receptor gene (TAS2R38), perceived intensity of a bitter compound called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), and perceived intensity of alcohol. They concluded that both genotype and bitter taste perception make independent and overlapping contributions to taste when a person drinks alcohol. The findings appear in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. "We do not all share the same oral sensory experiences from foods and beverages. Some of the differences in oral sensation are under genetic control, and these differences can explain some of the variability in what we like and ultimately choose to eat and drink," study author Valerie B. Duffy, registered dietitian and an associate professor in the School of Allied Health at the University of Connecticut, said in a prepared statement. "It's about time that individual differences in taste perception have been considered in research since there are wide individual differences in the liking for the taste of alcohol," Julie A. Mennella, a biopsychologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center, said in a prepared statement. "Our sense of taste, along with the sense of smell, plays an important role in determining what foods and beverages we accept or reject. They are also our senses of pleasure," Mennella said. More information The Society for Neuroscience has more about taste.
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