🧬 Your Sweet 🍬 Tooth May Be Genetically Inherited
More candy is purchased on Halloween than on Valentine's Day. Candy and sugar have been part of the human diet for thousands of years. Research from the University of Toronto in 2008 found that the SLC2A2 gene may play a key part of this. It has been dubbed the "sweet tooth gene".
Your brain uses glucose to function over fats and proteins. Research suggests that people with SLC2A2 consume more sugar because their bodies process sugar more inefficiently. Due to the sugars being consumed more inefficiently, the brain "thinks" it needs more sugars - causing people to consume more sugar than those without the genetic variant.
Considering the rise in obesity and diabetes this is important research. This study was supported by the Advanced Foods and Materials Network and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. You can read the study here.
Although this research is interesting it is important to note that genetics is an evolving field and genetics is not everything. Your lifestyle, habits and environment are very important factors in living a healthy, happy and long life.
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