Friday, September 22, 2006

I knew it!

It appears as though my seemingly irrational dislike of vegetables is but the phenotypic manifestation of my genetic make up according to the guys overs at Mind Hacks.

Liking for sprouts may be partly genetic:

Nature is reporting that a gene which is involved in a receptor for bitter tastes can predict people's liking for vegetables such as broccoli and sprouts.

It has been proposed that humans are particularly sensitive to bitterness as natural poisons often taste bitter.

Certain versions of this gene may make us especially sensitive, however. So sensitive, perhaps, that we dislike foods that are perfectly safe but have a bitter element.

There's more information in a over at Eureka Alert and the original study is published in the journal Current Biology.

2 comments:

Random Madhouse said...

Don't worry- the genes change as you grow older. I can't think of a single adult who doesn't like broccoli or sprouts ;-)

Leo_Africanus said...

Honorary 'youth' status by virtue of my dislike of vegetables! Time to throw out the Oil of Olay.