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Genetic variant that causes vegetables to taste bitter makes heart-healthy diet challenging for some
PHILADELPHIA — People with a gene variant that makes certain vegetables taste bitter had lower vegetable intake compared with people without the variant, making adherence to a heart-healthy diet a challenge, according to data presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
“Genes can play a role how you taste food and that, in turn, may alter what it is you choose to eat,” Jennifer L. Smith, PhD, RN, postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular science at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, told Healio. “Some people may think they don’t like certain vegetables because they are picky, and this might not be true. There could be a genetic reason you respond to certain foods.”
Smith and colleagues genotyped 175 participants with at least two CVD risk factors and then stratified based on haplotype for the TAS2R38 gene. According to the researchers, the proline-alanine-valine (PAV) variant makes certain foods, including cruciferous vegetables, taste bitter, whereas the alanine-valine-isoleucine (AVI) variant does not. Smith and colleagues hypothesized that people with the PAV/PAV and PAV/AVI haplotypes would have less vegetable consumption and more consumption of sodium, sugar and saturated fat compared with those with the AVI/AVI haplotype.
“The gene we used in this study, TAS2R38, has been identified as one that influences bitter taste, and some work had been done to identify ways that this gene was associated with eating behavior. What hasn’t been done is investigating this gene in a group of those who are at risk for cardiovascular disease, because we often ask these people to alter their diets to improve their risk of disease,” Smith said in an interview. “Since we ask our patients to alter their eating behavior for their health, and taste is one of the most important factors in food choice, it would be useful to know if their genetics (something that can’t be changed) was playing an important role in the choices these people made when it came to their diets.”
According to the researchers, intake of sodium, sugar and saturated fat did not differ by haplotype, but people with the PAV/PAV or PAV/AVI haplotype had a 2.6-fold lower odds of being above the median in vegetable intake than those with the AVI/AVI haplotype (P = .032).
“Knowing that people can have a real genetic reason for avoiding certain foods can help providers when they make their recommendations to people,” Smith told Healio. “If we know someone has this version of the gene, then we can alter the suggestions we make as to what they should eat. People with this genotype sometimes have trouble with cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and brussels sprouts. Emphasizing other vegetables they can eat would be helpful so they know there are other choices out there that they can make for their health.”
In the cohort, the mean age was 52 years, 73% were women, 89% were overweight or obese and 80% had the PAV/PAV or PAV/AVI haplotype.
“When advising patients on making any alterations to their diets, it’s important to remember that taste is an important consideration,” Smith told Healio. “We often overlook this feature of eating behavior when we ask patients to change what they eat. Earlier research has shown us that people find it very hard to change their eating behavior when the food doesn’t taste good. We need to find better ways to make changes that will make the diet healthy but also flavorful.” – by Erik Swain
Reference:
Smith JL, et al. Presentation 200. Katherine A. Lembright Award/Lecture and Martha N. Hill Early Career Investigator Award Competition. Presented at: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions; Nov. 16-18, 2019; Philadelphia.
Disclosure: Smith reports no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
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There is an established association between variation at the TAS2R38 gene and sensitivity to bitter taste, but the current study is novel in its focus on those at high CV risk, a group for whom poor dietary habits may have profound health consequences. Although the observed association between PAV haplotype and decreased vegetable consumption in high-risk patients (n = 175, P = .032) requires validation in a larger cohort, the study nonetheless underscores the potential to understand the genetic basis of key behavioral traits with CV implications.
While we understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle for reducing CV risk — including among those at an elevated genetic risk — enacting effective behavioral modification remains a major challenge. Insights into a patient’s genetic tendency to follow specific, heart-healthy habits — here, vegetable consumption; but other studies have identified genetic variants associated with smoking and alcohol consumption — may inform and assist a provider seeking to facilitate favorable behavioral changes in a patient. For example, knowing of a patient’s genetic liability to bitter sensitivity may prompt physicians to proactively seek alternative dietary strategies and/or to arrange for a specialized consultation with a clinical nutritionist.
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