Genetic
Variants Play Role in Our Food Choices
“Taste matters when it comes to
altering your diet. If you aren’t appealing to your tastes when you make
dietary changes, it may be hard to stick with them,” said study’s lead
author Dr. Jennifer Smith,
a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Kentucky.
“This research helps bring
understanding that taste is an important feature of food choice, which can
greatly impact patient care.”
In the study, Dr. Smith and her
colleagues focused on a specific gene that makes certain compounds taste
bitter, making it more difficult for some people at risk of cardiovascular disease
to add heart-healthy veggies to their diet.
“Choosing a heart-healthy diet is
one way to reduce cardiovascular disease risk,” Dr. Smith said.
“Taste is an important factor in
food choice, which makes this discovery useful for providers who need to guide
their patients’ nutritional habits.”
Everyone inherits two copies of variants on a gene called TAS2R38; these two variants are AVI (alanine-valine-isoleucine) or PAV (praline-alanine-valine).
“The combination of these variants
determines your taste,” Dr. Smith said.
“People who have an AVI/PAV gene
perceive bitter tastes of these chemicals, while individuals with PAV/PAV
make-up find the same foods exceptionally bitter — they’re often called
‘super-tasters’.”
“Broccoli, brussels sprouts and
cabbage are usually the worst culprits for those with the super-taster gene,”
she noted.
“It’s possible dark chocolate,
coffee and sometimes beer can turn them away, too.”
The study involved 175 participants
(72.6% were female, 89.1% were overweight or obese and 82.9% were non-smokers)
with the mean age of 52 years.
Those with a PAV variant were more
than two and a half times less likely to consume a lot of vegetables.
“If you do find certain veggies
impossible to tolerate, try others — there is a great variety of healthy and
nutritious, fiber-packed vegetables,” Dr. Smith said.
“I’m hoping to expand my research in
the future to investigate different herbs and spices that will make eating
bitter-tasting vegetables more acceptable.”
The scientists presented the findings November 16 at the American Heart Association’s
Scientific Sessions 2019 in Philadelphia, PA.
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Jennifer Smith et al.
TAS2R38 Haplotype Predicts Vegetable Consumption in Community Dwelling Adults
at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. American Heart Association’s
Scientific Sessions 2019, NR.AOS.351