Also available in Thailand: fries with extra mayonnaise or a meatball with a lot of fat gravy. Some compatriots can't get enough of it. That's because the preference for fat flavors is in the genes of a number of people. As a result, they run a greater risk of developing obesity.
The University of Cambridge surveyed 54 people on their taste preferences. Fourteen people carried the so-called MC4R gene, twenty were overweight and the other twenty had a normal weight.
The participants in the study were offered unlimited portions of the dish 'chicken korma' in three different flavours. The three variants did not differ in appearance and taste as little as possible, but they did contain different amounts of fat. There was a low-fat variant, a variant with the usual amount of fat for the dish and an extra-fat variant.
The test subjects ate about the same amount, but the people with the abnormal gene almost all opted for the fatty variant. The other forty people opted for the other less fatty variants.
The researchers also looked at the effect of sweets. The participants also had to choose from three variants of a pudding. The sweetest pudding was not chosen as the tastiest by the people with the 'fat preference' gene.
“Usually we eat foods that are high in both fat and sugar. By testing these different nutrients with this specific group, we can show that our brain regulates which taste we prefer," lead researcher Sadaf Farooqi told the BBC.
The researchers emphasize that their findings are no excuse for people to eat fat. It remains important not to give in to such preferences because it is unhealthy and can cause obesity.
Source: BBC – www.bbc.com/news/health-37549578
I don't know if it's genetically determined.
But the fact is that we get food from before we are born. That's where our lives begin and I believe that's what determines what we will or won't like to eat during our lifetime.