Abstract
ObjectivesBitter taste perception affects food preference, eating behavior, and nutrient intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of bitter taste gene polymorphisms to body fatness as measured by percentage of body fat.MethodThree common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the TAS2R38 gene which result in amino acid changes in the protein (A49P, V262A, and I296V), were studied in three racially diverse groups: European Americans n = 313, African Americans n = 109, and Asians n = 234.ResultsThe allele frequencies of the three SNPs were similar to previous studies. The rare haplotypes, AAI and AAV, were found in high prevalence in the African American subgroup (22.94%) and European American subgroup (6.07%). The PROP non taster; AVI/AVI diplotype was associated with a higher risk of obesity in European American and Asian but not African American subjects after age adjustment.ConclusionsTAS2R38 polymorphisms could be associated with obesity development. In addition to taste perception, nutrient sensing and energy metabolism should be studied in relation to bitter taste receptors to confirm the association between genetic polymorphisms and body fatness. Genetic polymorphisms, race, gender, and environmental factors such as dietary patterns could all contribute to body fat.
Highlights
H umans taste food and other substances by taste receptors that are located in taste buds on the tongue
Bitter taste receptors belong to the class of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and they are mediated by 25 different gene families; one of them being the TAS2R38 gene located on chromosome 7q that has been strongly associated with 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) sensitivity [3e5]
Three common single nucleotide polymorphisms of TAS2R38 have been described, all of which result in amino acid changes in the protein alanine to proline at position 49 (A49P), valine to alanine at position 262 (V262A), and isoleucine to valine at position 296 (I296V) [4]
Summary
H umans taste food and other substances by taste receptors that are located in taste buds on the tongue. Three common single nucleotide polymorphisms of TAS2R38 have been described, all of which result in amino acid changes in the protein alanine to proline at position 49 (A49P), valine to alanine at position 262 (V262A), and isoleucine to valine at position 296 (I296V) [4]. These polymorphisms result in two Received 26 November 2020; revised 18 December 2020; accepted 11 January 2021.
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