Gene may determine "sweet tooth"
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: SWEET TOOTH GENE SCRIPT # 518 AIRDATE: Monday, August 11, 2003 DHC MASTER #18 Timecode: 13:00
Monday, August 11, 2003
If you prefer sweet tastes, it could be an inherited trait. A sweet gene has been discovered on chromosome No. 4. It could account for many people’s insatiable appetite for foods such as Krispy Kreme donuts.
We’ve know for quite some time about bitter taste receptors. But only recently have researchers discovered sweet taste receptors.
“It has been very clear in genetic studies in mice that yes you have a link between the genes and the behavior towards sweet eating or sweet absorption,” taste researcher Dr. Pasquel Mbiene said.
“We don’t know the link yet between the presence of those receptors and the behavior. This is the next step here.”
Cavities have long been linked to a carbohydrate diet. All sugars and starches are carbohydrates.
“I love my dessert first. When I open a menu, I always go to the desserts and see how much calories I want to waste on a meal. So I can make sure I get exactly what I came for,” Barbie Allen said.
Environment may also play a big role. The foods you eat as a child are often the foods you prefer as an adult.
“The presence of the gene doesn’t determine your behavior. But you are at risk,” Mbiene said.
So you can inherit a sweet tooth. Just be sure you always brush and floss it. For Baylor College of Dentistry and The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center in Dallas, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
