Abstract
We hypothesized that subjects with genetic variants that increase sweet taste preference would consume more sucrose‐containing foods and have altered energy and glucose metabolisms, which would have interactions with lifestyles. Korean genome and epidemiology study (KoGES) was conducted to determine genetic variants and lifestyles including nutrient intakes by the Korean Center for Disease and Control during 2004–2013. Subjects were 8,842 adults aged 40–69 years in Ansan/Ansung cohorts in Korea. The associations between genetic risk scores(GRS) selected for influencing higher sweet preference and energy and glucose metabolism were examined using logistic regression after adjusting for covariates. GRS included 8 SNPs, TAS1R2_rs61761364, SLC2A5_rs11121306, SLC2A7_ rs769902, SLC2A5_rs765618, TRPM5_rs1965606, TRPV1_rs224495, TRPV1_ rs8065080, and TRPV1_rs8078502. Sweet taste preference was higher by 1.30‐folds in high GRS than in low GRS (p < .0001). Consistent with sweet taste preference, carriers with high GRS had a higher intake of sucrose‐containing foods by 1.25 (1.08–1.46)‐fold than those with low GRS after adjusting age, gender, BMI, and energy intake. However, glucose intolerance risk was rather lower by 0.861 (0.76–0.98)‐fold in high GRS than low GRS (p < .05). GRS tended to interact with mental stress to affect sucrose intake (p = .048). Only in low mental stress levels, sucrose‐containing food intake was higher in high GRS than low GRS. There was an interaction of GRS with physical activity to influence glucose intolerance. Serum glucose concentrations were lower by 0.808‐folds in high GRS than low GRS only in a high physical activity state. In conclusion, adults with genetically high sweet taste preference had a positive association with high sucrose‐containing food intakes and improved glucose tolerance. The genetic impact on sweetness preference was associated with offset by high mental stress and lack of physical activity.
Highlights
Sucrose intake especially sucrose-sweetened beverage contribute to excess energy intake and increased glycemic load by providing energy source with increased insulin secretion (Schlesinger et al, 2017)
We found that subjects with high genetic risk score (GRS) of TAS1R2_rs61761364, SLC2A5_rs11121306, SLC2A7_rs769902, SLC2A5_rs765618, TRPM5_rs1965606, TRPV1_rs224495, TRPV1_rs8065080, and TRPV1_rs8078502 had higher sweet taste preference
The present study showed that genetic variants of glucose transporters such as SLC2A5 and SLC2A7 were associated with sweet taste preference
Summary
Sucrose intake especially sucrose-sweetened beverage contribute to excess energy intake and increased glycemic load by providing energy source with increased insulin secretion (Schlesinger et al, 2017). Various non-nutritive sweeteners have been substituted for sucrose and have no or few calorie and glycemic index. Non-nutritive sweeteners are reported to elicit metabolic changes that contribute to obesity and glucose intolerance in a cell-based, animal model, and human studies, the results are inconsistent (Pearlman, Obert, & Casey, 2017; Suez et al, 2014). Non-nutritive sweeteners mediate activation of sweet taste receptors in oral, intestine, pancreatic β cells and brain, and the modulation of the gut microbiome (Rother, Conway, & Sylvetsky, 2018; Suez et al, 2014). The results have suggested that the activation of taste receptor and/or sweet taste preference may influence energy and glucose metabolism. Genetic differences in taste receptors may be differently influenced by sucrose-containing foods and genetic variants of taste receptors affect the intake of sweet foods
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