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Subtle Sweet Tooth May Keep Brits, French Alive

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 26, 2009 7:03 PM CDT

(Newser) – If Marie Antoinette really said "Let them eat cake," she probably knew the French wouldn't bite. Along with the British and other Europeans, the French have developed genetic variants that make them more sensitive to sweetness in food, a new study says. Africans, on the other hand, need more sugar to wake up their taste buds. As DNA researchers often say, the difference may come down to survival.

"The straight answer is we don't know" why Africans are less sensitive to sugar, says study leader Dennis Drayna. "But there are some tantalizing possibilities." Africans may have adapted to the tropics' high-sugar fruits and vegetables, he said, while Europeans refined their taste buds to find sweetness in the less sugary foods of northern climes.


The British and French have developed a more subtle sweet tooth thanks to genetic variants, says a new study.
The British and French have developed a more subtle sweet tooth thanks to genetic variants, says a new study.   (Shutterstock)
A Lafayette cake dessert is served to guests Tuesday evening, Nov. 6, 2007, during the White House dinner in honor of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Washington.
A "Lafayette" cake dessert is served to guests Tuesday evening, Nov. 6, 2007, during the White House dinner in honor of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Washington.   (AP Photo/White House, Shealah Craighead)
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COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
northeast
Jun 27, 2009 4:07 AM CDT
How can people willingly ingest stuff like slugs or Purple Drank? Ahaahhhhhhhhhh.....

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