Why People Like Alcohol Depends on Genes [VIDEO + REPORT]

Have you ever wondered why some people binge on beers and vodkas while you can't really stand the taste of an alcohol? The answer lies on your genes.

Study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research shows that the way you perceive the taste of an alcohol depends on a certain gene. The research conducted by Dr. John E. Hayes of the Sensory Evaluation Center at Penn State in University Park has found that people who have certain version of genes think alcohol taste better than people who don't possess the genetic material.

Alcohol tests were conducted on 93 participants of European ancestry between 18 to 45 years of age where they rated the intensity of drinks with 16 percent alcohol content. The score on alcohol were recorded three minutes later following cotton swabs with 50 percent alcohol were applied to their tongues.

The researchers have found that the type of bitter receptor gene a certain person has influences the way they recognize the bitterness of an alcohol.

"People may differ in the sensations they experience from a food or beverage, and these perceptual differences have a biological basis," Dr. Hayes states.

Researchers have concluded that people with two copies of TAS2R38 gene, the most sensitive version would find alcohol beverages most bitter. People who possess a different structure of TAS2R38 gene would even find cabbage, kale, grapefruits and even coffee bitter.

In the study of alcohol conducted by Haynes, he also stressed that genes influence both how a person will find the taste of alcohol and how a person will be likely to be alcoholic.

In 2012, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 87.6 percent of people 18 years old and above have drank alcohol, while 24.6 percent of the same age group has been into binge drinking in the past month.

 

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