The amount of sugar that everyone likes to add to coffee or other beverages and foods is largely determined by genes. This is suggested by a 2015 study by geneticist Danielle Reed and her colleagues at the Monell Center in Philadelphia, which specializes in the research of smell and taste.
Reed compared the perception of sweet taste between pairs of monozygotic twins and twins and concluded that 30% of our sweet tooth depends on what is written in our DNA, which regulates how intensely each person perceives the sweetness of fructose and fructose. glucose. Certain genetic variants mean that we need more concentration of these natural sweeteners to perceive the sweet taste.
On the other hand, the liver generates a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 21 or FGF21 that influences the urges to eat. If it is produced in insufficient quantities, our body does not detect when we have consumed enough sugar, so the craving for sweets is insatiable. Interestingly, a study just published in the journal Cell Metabolism indicates that large amounts of FGF21 decrease appetite and sugar intake up to seven times below normal, a very interesting fact for nutritionists and their patients.
As for eating habits, it seems that they do not influence as much as was thought. While following a low-salt diet ultimately reduces the desire to consume it, the preference for the sweet taste does not change when sugar intake is reduced, as research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown.
