Saturday, September 30, 2006

The green-hating gene

It's the perfect excuse for any child - some of us are born with a dislike of vegetables.

Studies have shown that having a taste for bitter greens is in our genes.

Those who baulk at the very thought of broccoli are born with taste buds which are highly sensitive to sharp tastes, while those who love the vegetable find it hard to register the bitterness.

The U.S. scientists said an aversion to vegetables may be the body's way of keeping us healthy.

It is known that the chemicals behind the bitter taste stop iodine from working properly in the body. But iodine, found in seafood and some vegetables and processed by the thyroid gland, is crucial for growth and mental and sexual development.

People living in areas where iodine levels are low may have evolved a dislike of foods that prevented them from making use of what little iodine there was.

Source - Daily Mail

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