Scientists Discover Gene That Makes You Prefer Fatty Foods

Overview of Fatty Foods
Fatty foods are simply the foods containing various kinds of fats in a large proportion. There are many foods, which contain no amount of fat, and there are also many foods, which contain lots of fats. Some of the food containing high amount of fats are oil, butter, nuts, beef, and others. Among fatty foods, there are some foods containing healthy fat, whereas some fatty foods contain lots of unhealthy fat.

Many people are tempted to consume a lot of fat loss foods. Some of the tempting fatty foods are popcorn with butter, pork sausage, potato chips, French fries, and others. Those people know that it is not healthy to consume a lot of fatty foods, but they just can’t stop themselves from consuming it. The statistics show that more than 1 out of 3 adults in the United States are obese, which shows that excessive consumption of fat is a huge health concern in the United States.

Gene that makes you Prefer Fatty Foods
Excessive consumption of fatty foods has always been a major health concern in the United States. In the verse of finding the reason behind the cravings of fatty foods, one interesting discovery was made by a group of scientists. The researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that there are some people who are carrying a mutation, making them extremely difficult to resist the fatty foods. They are not even able to resist the fatty foods, even if you give them an option of low-fat food with similar taste.

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The study conducted at the University of Cambridge was done among 54 participants. They were invited to an event called all-you-can eat, and the event was done in the name of science. The foods that were available were chicken buffet and very tasty dessert. Among the 54 participants in the study, ten of the people were confirmed to have MC4R gene. MC4R gene was assumed to create a craving of fatty food among the people.

The participants were provided with three different curries. All of the three curries had similar taste. The curries had similar taste, but all of the three different curries varied in the amount of calories and fats contained. The participants were not told about this experiment while performing the study. Participants were given the options to try all three curries according to their choice.

After letting them to taste all three curries, all the participants were asked to choose the curries according to their preference. The researchers were keeping note of the participants’ choice. In the second stage of the study, the participants were provided with options to try three popular British desserts known as Eton mess (strawberry, meringue, and whipped cream mixture).

8%, 26%, and 54% sugar respectively, were contained in the three different varieties of Eton mess. After letting them taste the dessert, they were given the option to choose from one of them.

After the completion of the study, scientists discovered that the people having a MC4R gene mutation consumed almost double volume of high fat chicken korma in comparison to the normal weighted people with no MC4R gene. Moreover, they also consumed 65% more than the individuals with obese having no MC4R gene.

Regarding Eton mess, those people having the MC4R gene were not interested in consuming high sugar content like other obese individuals. They consumed even less dessert than normal participants. It shows that this mutation increase cravings for fat, not sugar.

Among the obese individuals, only 1% of the obese individuals have this gene, which shows that this gene is not exactly the cause behind obese epidemic.

Positive Takeaways From The Study
Although there is a high craving for fat among the people with MC4R gene, it could prove to be an evolutionary advantage. According to Sadaf Farooqi, a researcher who led the study explained that fat has high amount of calorie per gram than protein and carbohydrates, and storing an adequate level of calorie is critical for survival. This craving leads a person to eat more fat than carbohydrates, which can only be stored in a limited amount. This can be a great way to fight against starvation. Moreover, the MC4R gene is also regarded as a potential drug for the treatment of obesity.

Conclusion
More preference for fatty foods can be because of the presence of MC4R gene. Many people all over the world love to have fatty foods. They are tasty, and they tempt us to consume more. However, high consumption of fatty foods can have an adverse impact on our health. High consumption of fatty foods is the cause of obesity. The study shows that obesity is one of the major causes behind cardiovascular disease.

On the positive side, the study can help the researchers find more dimensions for research in the future to find more interesting and helpful insights.

References

http://www.infowars.com/scientists-discover-gene-that-makes-you-prefer-fatty-foods/

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx