The genetic consequences of our sweet tooth.

Timothy M Cox

Journal: Nature reviews. Genetics 2002;3(6):481-7

PMID: 12042775

Full Text on Nature Publishing Group View on PubMed

Abstract

First reported in 1956, hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) illustrates vividly how interactions between genes and nutrients can influence taste preferences; the disease also reflects the ascendancy of sucrose and fructose as energy sources and as the world's principal sweeteners. However, HFI is not the only genetic ill to have emerged from our obsession with sugar: the slave trade, which had such a key part in the development of the sugar industry, also included major genetic consequences in its haunting legacy.

Address: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Level 5, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1038/nrg815

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MeSH Terms: Dietary Carbohydrates, Endorphins, Feeding Behavior, Food Preferences, Humans, Milk, Human, Nutrition Disorders, Sucrose, Taste