Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1997 Jul;27(4):373-87.
doi: 10.1023/a:1025692031673.

Heritable variation in food preferences and their contribution to obesity

D R Reed  1 , A A Bachmanov, G K Beauchamp, M G Tordoff, R A Price
Affiliations
Review

Heritable variation in food preferences and their contribution to obesity

D R Reed et al. Behav Genet. 1997 Jul.

Abstract

What an animal chooses to eat can either induce or retard the development of obesity; this review summarizes what is known about the genetic determinants of nutrient selection and its impact on obesity in humans and rodents. The selection of macronutrients in the diet appears to be, in part, heritable. Genes that mediate the consumption of sweet-tasting carbohydrate sources have been mapped and are being isolated and characterized. Excessive dietary fat intake is strongly tied to obesity, and several studies suggest that a preference for fat and the resulting obesity are partially genetically determined. Identifying genes involved in the excess consumption of dietary fat will be an important key to our understanding of the genetic disposition toward common dietary obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Allison DB. Methodological issues in obesity research: Examples from biometrical genetics. In: Vanltallie TB, Simopoulos AP, editors. Obesity. New Directions in Assessment and Management. Charles Press; Philadelphia: 1994. pp. 122–132.
    1. Anliker JA, Bartoshuk L, Ferris AM, Hooks LD. Children’s food preferences and generic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;54:316–320. - PubMed
    1. Austin MA, King MC, Bawol RD, Hulley SB, Friedman GD. Risk factors for coronary heart disease in adult female twins. Genetic heritability and shared environmental influences. Am J Epidemiol. 1987;125:308–318. - PubMed
    1. Bachmanov AA, Reed DR, Ninomiya Y, Inoue M, Tordoff MG, Price RA, Beachamp GK. Genetics of sucrose intake in the mouse. Chem Senses. 1996;21:575.
    1. Bacon AW, Miles JS, Schiffman SS. Effect of race on perception of fat alone and in combination with sugar. Physiol Behav. 1994;55:603–606. - PubMed

Publication types