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Avoid Foods With Bitter Taste -
And It May Cost You
2-17-3

WASHINGTON -- Your food preference, depending on the taste, has a lot to =
do with the diseases you develop in the future. Scientists reported on =
Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science =
(AAAS) annual meeting that our biology plays a major role in determining =
our food choices. People who are highly sensitive to bitter taste, avoid =
eating bitter foods and vegetables, and thus miss out on vital =
anti-cancer agents, according to Dr. Linda Bartoshuk of Yale University. =
Studying the colonoscopies of a group of older men, Bartoshuk and Marc =
Basson at Wayne State University School of Medicine found a correlation =
between the number of polyps and the ability to taste bitterness. The =
men with more polyps reported eating the fewest vegetables and were =
heavier, both risk factors for colon cancer.

Bartoshuk and her colleagues have also found a correlation between =
weight and a history of ear infections that seems to be related to taste =
sensitivity. She thinks this relationship may be related to the ability =
to appreciate the sensation of eating fat, which can be increased by =
upper respiratory infections. The men in her study that reported =
histories of ear infections were heavier, which Bartoshuk thinks may be =
related connections between taste and the perception of fat.


Taste and fat stimulate different nerves that normally inhibit one =
another. When the taste system is damaged, fat produces more intense =
sensations. In males this tends to increase their liking for and intake =
of high fat foods, leading to increases in weight, according to =
Bartoshuk.

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2001 ANI-Asian News International. All rights reserved.