Genes and taste preferences linked to diet and metabolic risk in study

Genes and taste preferences may be connected to what people eat and to metabolic health risks, according to preliminary findings reported by the American Society for Nutrition. The study found that people with genetic scores tied to stronger preferences for sweet or fatty tastes tended to consume more of those foods and showed higher body weight and a modestly higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Julie Gervis, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, is presenting the findings at NUTRITION 2026, the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting, held July 25-28 in National Harbor, Maryland.

The work used data from the UK Biobank, which includes genetic information and health and diet questionnaires from about half a million people in the United Kingdom. The American Society for Nutrition described the analysis as one of the largest genome-wide studies of taste preferences to date.

Do genes affect taste preferences?

The findings suggest that inherited variation may contribute to a person’s preference for sweet, salty or fatty tastes. A genome-wide association study scans DNA across large groups of people to look for genetic differences that are statistically linked with traits, behaviors or diseases.

Because taste preferences are hard to measure at that scale, Gervis and her team combined answers from food preference questionnaires with sensory databases that describe foods by qualities such as sweetness, saltiness and fattiness. They then used those data to build genetic scores for preference toward sweet, salty and fatty tastes.

The researchers first identified genetic variants associated with each taste preference in one subset of UK Biobank participants. They then tested the resulting scores in a separate subset to see whether the scores tracked with actual food intake and health measures.

The analysis adjusted for age, sex, genetic ancestry and total energy intake, according to the American Society for Nutrition. Those adjustments were intended to help isolate the relationship between taste-related genetics, eating patterns and metabolic outcomes.

What did the study find?

People with higher genetic predisposition for sweet taste consumed more sweet foods, including desserts and sugary drinks. The difference averaged about 7 grams, or 0.25 ounces, more per day, the researchers found.

Higher genetic scores for sweet and fat preference were also linked with higher body weight and a modestly greater risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers reported that those links were largely explained by consumption of highly palatable foods, including sugary drinks, fried foods and potato chips.

Gervis said the results point to a partial genetic basis for why some people may have more difficulty limiting foods high in sugar or fat. She also said the findings could eventually support more targeted approaches to preventing diet-related chronic disease risk.

How could the findings be used?

The researchers said genetic information about taste preferences might help identify people who could benefit from earlier dietary support. For example, a person with a strong inherited preference for sweet taste might respond better to strategies designed around that tendency, such as behavioral tools or flavoring approaches, than to a standard diet plan.

The findings remain preliminary. The research team is working to test the results in other large populations and is studying whether genetic predispositions for bitter, sour and umami tastes also relate to diet quality and metabolic disease risk factors.

In a related project, the group is examining whether taste-preference genetics affect responses to metabolic disease drugs such as GLP-1 agonists. The American Society for Nutrition said that work follows emerging evidence that some people using these medications experience major taste changes that may alter food preferences, eating behavior and quality of life.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.