I don’t like asparagus and it is (maybe) the fault of my genes

All parents will tell you: yes, when you persist enough long enough to present a food to a child who does not like it, he usually ends up doing it and even, possibly, asking for it. Therefore,

These same parents will no doubt also tell you that the patience. However, the length of time that must be put there are often completely disproportionate with regard to the results obtained, but that is another question …

“It is mainly the fear of new foods that will fade over time. Furthermore, ” explains Véronique Gingras, nutrition and childhood development researcher at the University of Montreal.

“We also know that tastes are developing. Meanwhile, so there are probably mechanisms in terms of taste also, but it is especially neophobia that makes young children refuse i don’t like asparagus it food. Similarly, And the more we will present the food to the child, the more this fear will diminish. Similarly, ”

That said, adds Ms. For example, Gingras. Consequently, it happens that disgust persists in children – in mine, beets completely triggered a vomiting reflex, so let’s say that we have not insisted very long …

This therefore indicates that there can be something other than neophobia that is taken into account. Moreover, And yes, genetics can play a role here.

Basically. Similarly, the perception of tastes has evolved in mammals in order, on the one hand, to make attractive food rich in energy and, on the other hand, to alert a potential danger. For example. the language has receptors dedicated to bitterness because many plant toxins have a bitter taste, we read in a review of scientific literature published some time ago in i don’t like asparagus it Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science.

Likewise. the ability to perceive acidity makes it possible to detect a certain degree of rot, and therefore the presence of possible pathogenic bacteria.

However. if it is a trait from evolution, then there is by definition a genetic basis for our ability to taste. Some of these genes dedicated to taste. smell are fairly known to the public, such as the version of a gene that gives a taste of soap to coriander for those who are carrying a particular variant of the Or6a2 gene. About 10 % of the population carries this variant.

However, there are many, many more genes than that are involved in taste and smell. An English study published in 2022 in Nature Communications found 173 places in our genome which have an influence. on how to taste. And as there i don’t like asparagus it are typically several versions of each gene in a population. the researchers found no less than 1401 genetic variants associated with food preferences.

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Moderate effect of genes

This diversity will ensure that we will not taste all the compounds with the same sensitivity, which will of course have an impact on our inclinations and our aversions. But overall. the effect of genes on our tastes is rather “moderate”, concluded in 2016 a study published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Its authors asked for 1000 pairs of identical twins (which share the same 100 %genes). 900 non -identical pairs (which are not more likely, genetically, than brothers and sisters) from sixty foods on a scale of 1 to 5. Then they measured how much the responses of each pair of twins were like what the statisticians call a. i don’t like asparagus it Intraclass correlation coefficientwhose value varies from 0 to 1.

Roughly speaking. if the twins of the same pair had always responded exactly the same for each food, this would give a coefficient of 1; If they had responded completely at random, then the coefficient would be 0.

In this study, the identical twins obtained coefficients which generally revolved around 0.3 to 0.4, while those of the non -identical varied between 0 and 0.2. This clearly shows that genes guide our taste preferences. But the fact that the coefficients of monozygous usually spin around 0.3 to 0.4, so far enough from the maximum of 1, also indicates that genes do not have such a great effect.

From taste to consumption

In the same way. these tastes that we inherit genetics will have an impact on what we eat, but, here again i don’t like asparagus it the effect is relatively modest. For example. studies have shown that the more a person is sensitive to a bitter compound named 6-n-propylthiouracyland the less it is supported to love and consume vegetables that contain them like Brussels cabbage, spinach and asparagus.

But being very sensitive to it does not condemn never to appreciate these foods. “Food behavior is the result of many factors,” recalls Ms. Gingras. […] There are several genes involved. but we also know that the environment has a very great influence afterwards: family, access to foods close to home, advertising, etc. ”

In short. yes, genes can give us inclinations and food aversions, but their effect is diluted in a sea of other factors.

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