Diet Choices 'written In Genes'

[♦ nivek ♦]

Diet choices 'written in genes'

Our genes and not just our upbringing may play a key role in our food likes and dislikes, UK researchers believe.

 

Experts from Kings College London compared the eating habits of thousands of pairs of twins.

 

Identical twins were far more likely to share the same dietary patterns - like a penchant for coffee and garlic - suggesting tastes may be inherited.

 

A health psychologist said this meant childhood food foibles might be harder to put right than previously thought.

 

We have assumed that our upbringing and social environment determine what we like to eat. This has blown that theory out of the water

Lead researcher Professor Tim Spector

 

Identical twins have exactly the same genetic make-up as each other, so scientists, by comparing them to non-identical twins, can work out the likelihood that their characteristics are due to "nature" or "nurture".

 

The Kings College researchers looked at a total of more than 3,000 female twins aged between 18 and 79, working out their broad preferences using five different dietary "groups".

 

These included diets heavy in fruit and vegetables, alcohol, fried meat and potatoes, and low-fat products or low in meat, fish and poultry.

 

Coffee inheritance

 

Their results, published in the journal Twin Research and Human Genetics, suggested that between 41% and 48% of a person's leaning towards one of the food groups was influenced by genetics.

 

The strongest link between individual liking and genes involved a taste for garlic and coffee.

 

Professor Tim Spector, who led the research, said: "For so long we have assumed that our upbringing and social environment determine what we like to eat.

 

"This has blown that theory out of the water - more often than not, our genetic make-up influences our dietary patterns."

 

The researchers suggested that healthy eating campaigns, such as the government's "five-a-day" fruit and vegetable initiative, might have to be re-thought in light of the findings, as people genetically "programmed" to eat less fruit and vegetables would be more resistant to health messages than thought.

 

Brain 'rewards'

 

Professor Jane Wardle, from University College, said that the findings, and other similar research, pointed to genetics playing a "moderate" part in the development of preferred foods.

 

She said that it was possible that genes involved with taste, or the "reward" chemicals released by the body in response to certain foods, might play a role.

 

"People have always made the assumption that food choices are all due to environmental factors during life, but it now seems this isn't the case.

 

"It also suggests that what parents do to influence eating habits in childhood are not necessarily as important as we thought - and that a lot of effort may need to be made with young people as they become independent in adolescence to steer them onto the right course."

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7057060.stm

 

Published: 2007/10/22 23:16:18 GMT

[Monk]

Yes!! People have been given yet another reason not to take any personal responsibility whatsoever for their actions/lives.

 

I'm so glad nothing is our fault, and that everything we do is predetermined by genes. It's good to know we have no freedom of choice at all.

 

And who says destiny and fate don't exist? It's OBVIOUSLY written in our genes!

 

(*Note: I don't necessarily doubt the science...I just think people as a whole will do anything to avoid taking responsibility for their lives, which is something I really loathe about christianity. I think crap like this encourages it without doing anything to really improve our quality of life or understanding of our world.)

[mwc]

I'd have to question if this is why some foods that others tell me are sweet I tend to consider to be rather bitter. My wife likes tons of vegetables. That's fine with me and she tends to poke them in my face telling me how sweet they taste. To me they are among the bitterest things I've stuffed into my face and I have to question whether this is some joke she is playing but my parents did the same so obviously the problem lies with me. I've noticed that some sweet things don't register properly with others as well (my wife has problems with certain sweet items reporting them differently than everyone else). So this study kind of makes sense to me. What it ultimately means I'm not quite sure though. It's not like knowing this makes those foods taste differently. I still don't want them even though they're good for me.

 

mwc