Summary: According to several researchers, the preference for fatty foods is rooted in their genes. The found the people that had the CD36 gene preferred more fatty foods than the the ones that did not carry this form of the gene. The researchers used 317 African Americans, which have a high vulnerability to obesity, and gave them salad dressing with canola oil. Participants were then told to rate the creaminess, fat content and oiliness of the dressing. Then the researchers gave the participants questionnaires on what their food preferences were. The questionnaire included fatty foods such as bacon, fried chicken and doughnuts. Lastly, they collected saliva samples to see which people carried the CD36 gene and which did not. This experiment resulted in the conclusion that a person who carries the CD36 is more likely to prefer fatty foods.
Critique: I think that this conclusion is accurate. The tests that were done on these people proved to show what foods they preferred and the CD36 gene result played a key role in most of them.
Impact: This could impact lots of people to start thinking about what they are eating. If they could improve their health by not eating as much food containing large amounts of fat, I think that would be smart.
Haha I hope I don't have that gene! Just kidding. I think that's really interesting, but did they only test africans? Because if that's true then that is racist. I never knew the tastes we like are genetic, I just thought it was what you grew up with. Maybe its a little bit of both. I mean me and my dad are really picky about what we like and don't like and so maybe it's a genetic thing? But my mom and I don't really like the same things, but my brother does. For example I don't like mexican food (no racism intended) but my mom and brother do. But then again my brother always changes what he likes all the time so its kinda hard to tell with him. I'll have to look into that some more, but I think some more research should be done on this subject. Does the gene CD36 have any other function? What protiens does it make? Did they try any other experiments besides the ones described in this blog? Did they take people from all different ages, race, background, genes and places in the world? If not, why didn't they? What kinds of fatty foods are we talking about, like naturally fatty or artificially fatty? Just some questions that run through my head as I read this.
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Alyssa!
ReplyDeleteGood comment, Bethany!
I think that this is very intriguing. I really do believe that people do have genetic food preferences. I also think that it depends on what they are raised on and if they have good memories of the food. Were these people raised with bacon, fried chicken, and doughnuts? You could take a vegetarian raised on all natural, organic food and put a piece of fried chicken in front of them. I don't know if they would eat it/enjoy it, regardless of the CD36 gene. Secondly, I always remember making waffles with my dad when I was little and waffles are one of my favorite foods because that's what I automatically associate with them. Bethany brought up a very good point and I too think that they should have tested people of varying ethnicities. Weight affects many different people. Then it goes back to preference. If you took an Italian person would they prefer ravioli to the fried chicken? I would also be interested to see the researcher's definition of "fatty." Are these "fatty" foods something natural like avocados (which are amazing!) or are they something like a hamburger from McDonald's? Would the person with the CD36 gene prefer a naturally fatty vegetable/fruit to one with less fat?
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