title: A common genetic influence on human intensity ratings of sugars and high-potency sweeteners.
abstract: The perception of sweetness varies among individuals but the sources of this variation are not fully understood. Here, in a sample of 1,901 adolescent and young adults (53.8% female; 243 MZ and 452 DZ twin pairs, 511 unpaired individuals; mean age 16.2±2.8, range 12–26 years), we studied the variation in the perception of sweetness intensity of two monosaccharides and two high-potency sweeteners: glucose, fructose, neohesperidine dihydrochalcone (NHDC), and aspartame. Perceived intensity for all sweeteners decreased with age (2–5% per year) and increased with the history of otitis media (6–9%). Males rated aspartame slightly stronger than females (7%). We found similar heritabilities for sugars (glucose: h2=0.31, fructose: h2=0.34) and high-potency sweeteners (NHDC: h2=0.31, aspartame: h2=0.30); all were in the modest range. Multivariate modeling showed that a common genetic factor accounted for >75% of the genetic variance in the four sweeteners, suggesting that individual differences in perceived sweet intensity, which are partly due to genetic factors, may be attributed to a single set of genes. This study provided evidence of the shared genetic pathways between the perception of sugars and high-potency sweeteners.
authors.forename: Liang-Dar
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Gu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Paul A S
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Breslin
authors.forename: Danielle R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Nicholas G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001218:Aspartame / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000235:genetics*; D047188:Chalcones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D006569:Hesperidin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics*; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D047188:Chalcones; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D005632:Fructose; C013613:neohesperidin dihydrochalcone; D006569:Hesperidin; D005947:Glucose; D001218:Aspartame