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Same genetic components underlie different measures of sweet taste preference^1,2,3

¹ From the Departments of Food Technology (KK, HT, and AK), Public Health (KS), and Medical Genetics (MP),University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; the Department of Molecular Medicine, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland (KK, AK, and MP); and the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St Thomas' Hospital, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom (TDS and LFC)

Background: Sweet taste preferences are measured by several often correlated measures.

Objective: We examined the relative proportions of genetic and environmental effects on sweet taste preference indicators and their mutual correlations.

Design: A total of 663 female twins (324 complete pairs, 149 monozygous and 175 dizygous pairs) aged 17–80 y rated the liking and intensity of a 20% (wt/vol) sucrose solution, reported the liking and the use-frequency of 6 sweet foods (sweet desserts, sweets, sweet pastry, ice cream, hard candy, and chocolate), and completed a questionnaire on cravings of sweet foods. The estimated contributions of genetic factors, environmental factors shared by a twin pair, and environmental factors unique to each twin individual to the variance and covariance of the traits were obtained with the use of linear structural equation modeling.

Results: Approximately half of the variation in liking for sweet solution and liking and use-frequency of sweet foods (49–53%) was explained by genetic factors, whereas the rest of the variation was due to environmental factors unique to each twin individual. Sweet taste preference–related traits were correlated. Tetravariate modeling showed that the correlation between liking for the sweet solution and liking for sweet foods was due to genetic factors (genetic r = 0.27). Correlations between liking, use-frequency, and craving for sweet foods were due to both genetic and unshared environmental factors.

Conclusion: Detailed information on the associations between preference measures is an important intermediate goal in the determination of the genetic components affecting sweet taste preferences.

Key Words: Twin study • sweet taste • genetic effects • heritability • taste preferences

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