If People Have A Sweet Tooth It May Be Their Liver’s Fault
Whether people have a sweet tooth may be determined by FGF21, a hormone secreted by the liver.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that individuals with specific variants of the FGF21 gene were 20 percent more likely to be top consumers of sweet treats such as chocolate, ice cream, and candies.
“The data, mined from a study of the lifestyles and metabolic health of 6,500 Danish individuals, is a really surprising insight into the potential hormonal basis of the sweet tooth,” says researcher Matthew Gillum, an assistant professor of biological sciences.
The study suggests our liver may have more influence over what we eat than earlier thought. “Maybe satiety consists of different pathways that control different types of nutrients,” says Gillum. “This study has opened my mind to how this regulatory system might work.”
Gillum and his colleague, Niels Grarup, focused on two FGF21 gene variants that had already been linked to increased carbohydrate intake. They discovered that people having either of the two variants were significantly more likely to eat greater amounts of candy and other sweets.
These same variants were also associated with increased alcohol consumption and smoking, but surprisingly were not associated with obesity or type 2 diabetes. However, other variants of FGF21 might be involved in metabolic conditions, and the researchers hope future studies will reveal them.
To get a better understanding of FGF21’s role in the body, Gillum and Grarup also recruited 51 human subjects who were either extreme likers, or dis-likers of sweets. They measured the subjects’ FGF21 levels after a 12-hour fast, and then over five hours after the subjects drank highly sugared water.
The participants who disliked sweets had fasting FGF21 levels 50 percent higher than the sugar lovers. Yet, after drinking sugared water, FGF21 rose to similar levels in both groups. The investigators believe it will take larger studies to understand this hormone’s behavior, and its influence on our health.
Source: Science Daily
Photo credit: Connie Ma
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