Genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 taste receptor and brassica vegetable intake

Abstract

The human TAS2R38 receptor is believed to be partly responsible for the ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a bitter compound very similar to the bitter glucosinolates found in brassica vegetables. These vegetables and their active compounds have chemo-protective properties. This study investigated the relationship between genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 receptor and the actual consumption of brassica vegetables with the hypothesis that taster status was associated with intake of these vegetables. Furthermore, secondary intake information on alcohol, chocolate, coffee, smoking, BMI and waist-circumference was analysed for association with the hTAS2R38 receptor polymorphisms. The subjects were selected from the Diet, Cancer and Health (DCH) study, which is an ongoing prospective Danish cohort study. Two groups, each consisting of 250 healthy subjects were selected based on their brassica vegetables intake from the upper quartile (≥23 g/day) and the lower quartile (≤7 g/day) daily intake of brassicas from a randomly selected sub-cohort of DCH. DNA was analysed for three functional SNPs in the hTAS2R38 gene. The hTAS2R38 bitter taste receptor haplotypes were not associated with the daily intake of brassica vegetables in our study, and no association between the haplotypes and any of the other variables tested was found. We have demonstrated that the hTAS2R38 haplotypes are not associated with brassica vegetable intake and that results from experimental setups cannot be applied directly to the everyday situation. This indicates that non-genetic factors may have more influence on dietary choice than genetics.

Key Words::

• Alcohol
• genetics
• obesity
• smoking
• taste
• vegetables

Acknowledgments

Sources of support: Danish Cancer Society (AT) and Rigshospitalets Forskningsudvalg (HEP).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.