Scientists have discovered that some people have a "super-taster" gene that makes them extremely sensitive to bitterness, making them dislike vegetables.
A study revealed that some people possess a gene that make them a "super-taster" or someone with genetic predisposition to taste food differently, making them sensitive to bitterness, a common characteristic of many dark green, leafy veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.
University of Connecticut professor Valerie Duffy, an expert in the study of food taste, preference and consumption, said: "The person who has that genetic propensity gets more of the sulfur flavor of, say, Brussels sprouts, especially if they've been overcooked. So that [bitter] vegetable is disliked, and because people generalize, soon all vegetables are disliked."
"If you ask people, 'Do you like vegetables?' They don't usually say, 'Oh yeah, I don't like this, but I like these others.' People tend to either like vegetables or not," added Duffy.
The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, indicated that people with the "bitter gene" are 2.6 times more likely to eat fewer vegetables than people who do not have that gene.
Study author Jennifer Smith said: "We wanted to know if genetics affected the ability of people who need to eat heart-healthy foods from eating them. While we didn't see results in gene type for sodium, sugar or saturated fat, we did see a difference in vegetables," Smith said, adding that people with the gene tasted "a 'ruin-your-day' level of bitterness."
Duffy pointed out: "Just because somebody carries the two copies of the bitter gene doesn't mean that they can't enjoy vegetables. Cooking techniques such as adding a little fat, a little bit of sweetness, strong flavors like garlic or roasting them in the oven, which brings out natural sweetness, can all enhance the overall flavor or taste of the vegetable and block the bitterness."
