Do you prefer the crisp, sweet taste of wine, or the fizzy, bitter taste of a beer? Whether or not you like the taste of alcohol, it's not your taste buds to blame, it's your genes.
Published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences studied two bitter taste receptor genes known as TAS2R13 and TAS2R38, and a burn receptor gene, TRPV1.
The researchers took DNA samples of 93 people of European ancestry, ages 18 to 45 to determine which variation of the genes they possessed. The participants then completed tasting sessions, where they rated the intensity of a drink that was 16 percent alcohol. They were then asked to score their taste sensations for three minutes after a cotton swab soaked with 50 percent alcohol solution was applied on their tongues.
Led by study author John Hayes, assistant professor of food science and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center at Penn State, the researchers found that when people tasted alcohol, the amount of bitterness they experience differed. The differences were directly linked to which bitter receptor gene the participant had.
"The two genes, that had been previously associated with [alcohol] intake, also associated with differences in the perception of ethanol," says Hayes.
Those with two copies of the most sensitive version of the gene TAS2R38 gene found alcohol to taste the most bitter. People with the variation of this gene also find items such as kale, cabbage, coffee and grapefruit juice to be bitter.
In tune with common sense, previous research found that bitterness and sweetness each influence whether people like alcohol beverages. People who don't find alcohol to taste bitter may drink more than those who do. While people experience different sensations from food and beverages, according to the new research, the differences have a biological basis. "It seems unlikely the taste of alcohol matters at all once someone is alcohol-dependent," Hayes says. "Still, taste genetics may be an important risk factor before someone becomes dependent."
The researchers also found that when it comes to the burn gene, personality also is a factor. Depending on your taste preferences, some people simply enjoy the burn of spicy foods. "The burn receptor gene TRPV1 has not previously been linked to differences in intake, but we reasoned that this gene might be important as alcohol causes burning sensations in addition to bitterness, " Hayes says.
According to the Nation Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in 2012, about 88 percent of people over the age of 18 reported that they have drank alcohol during some point of their lives and 56.3 percent reporting they drank in the past month.
