Taste - It’s Half in the Genes

A new study on obesity has linked the liking for protein-rich foods to be genetic, whereas vegetables and desserts liking are dependent on environmental factors. Interesting…so that means my parents liking for all things pork has also been given to me. (And probably the reason why I can’t go vegetarian…the Chinese cuisine can do the most interesting and tasty dishes with pork! Drool… )

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. So the saying ‘you are what you eat’ can be taken quite literally. The researchers are coming up with theories as to why environmental factors influence the preference for desserts and vegetables (e.g. Witnessing their parents enthusiasm or distaste for certain items), but what is it about meat and fish that makes its liking factor heritable? In a majority of households, the meat is always the main attraction to the meal – to my parents, if there is no meat on the table, then it really isn’t a meal. So I guess we’ve been ingrained for so many generations to have meat as a staple of a meal, and everything else we eat is like a supporting cast. And thus now it has become genetically linked. A somewhat logical theory...? Maybe?

The researchers hope that this study can help the health and food industries in understanding more about the rise in obesity, and give them insight on how to modify their products or create new items to combat the childhood obesity problem.