Genes determine eating habits

Research infers repeated exposure to certain foods makes children accept them later.

NEW YORK: If you have suddenly become choosy about what food to devour, you may be genetically predisposed to becoming a picky eater. According to a new study, genes play a major role in determining food choices. The study, which included a group of four-year-old to seven-year-old twins, found that pickiness can be attributed to a specific gene called the TAS2R38 gene, which governs taste.

Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, a scientific institute dedicated to the study of smell and taste, also found that this same gene predicts the strength of sweet tooth cravings among children. “Children, who were more sensitive to bitterness, preferred sugary foods and drinks. However, adults with the bitter receptor genes remained picky about bitter foods, but did not prefer more sweets,” the authors noted.

Human tastes are strongly influenced by environment and experience. This process may even begin in the womb with exposure to different flavours via amniotic fluid and continues after birth via breast milk, previous research shows. Repeated exposure to foods, such as broccoli at these stages, makes children more likely to accept them later. While picky eating has been around as long as children and vegetables, it has only recently been recognised as a clinical disorder.

This type of targeted genetic work raises the possibility that some day, pills or even condiments could be invented that can temporarily ‘turn off’ taste restrictions such as bitter sensitivity, helping picky eaters enjoy greater food choices, the report suggested. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2014.

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