finally an excuse for my sweet tooth!

Finally I can blame this (supposedly, as I have not got my genome sequenced) on a genetic variant of the glucose transporter GLUT2. Yes, it does remind you of gluttony.

A glucose transporter is a channel that allows cells to import glucose, and apparently the variant of GLUT2 you possess will affect your intake of sugary foods and drinks. Or, at least, there is a positive correlation between possession of one variant and increased consumption of sugary foods. The study documenting this was published in Physiological Genomics.

The study looked at two cohorts of patients: older obese people, and young lean people. They then compared sugar consumption, as well as protein consumption, within the two groups, according to the GLUT2 variants. In this way, they found that age and sex seem not to affect sugar consumption, but a GLUT2 variant significantly correlated with increased "sweet toothedness".

These were the main finding of this study:

• those individuals with the GLUT2 variation consistently consumed more sugars (sucrose (table sugar)), fructose (simple sugar such as corn syrup) and glucose (carbohydrates), regardless of age or sex.
• the two sets of food records from the older group showed that the older individuals with the variation consumed more sugars than their non-variant older counterparts (112± 9 vs. 86±4 grams of sugar per day and 111±8 vs. 82± 4 grams per day).
• the individuals in the younger population who carried the variant were found to consume more sweetened beverages (0.49±0.05 vs. 0.34±0.02 servings per day) and more sweets (1.45±0.10 vs. 1.08±0.05 servings per day) than their non-variant counterparts.
• there were no differences in the amount of protein, fat, starch or alcohol that was consumed by those either with or without the variant.

What I find very interesting, and suggests to me that the study might be onto something, is that people with the "sweet channel" variant consumed more sugar regardless of sex and age. This still does not imply causation, but it definitely seems to suggest that there is a link.

Now, I would be interested in knowing whether people who consume more sugars also express higher levels of GLUT2 in general (regardless of the variant). You would expect that to be the case, as all this sugar has to be taken out of the circulation.

This seems to be a case of predisposition. But don't start being gluttonous now and blame it all on GLUT2.

Sources

American Physiological Society (2008, May 14). Genetic Variation Linked To Preference Sugary Food. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 15, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/05/080514064928.htm

Eny, K.M., Wolever, T.M., Fontaine-Bisson, B., El-Sohemy, A. (2008). Genetic variant in the glucose transporter type 2 is associated with higher intakes of sugars in two distinct populations. Physiological Genomics, 33(3), 355-360. DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00148.2007

P.S.: We had problem with the MCB Carnival, as the next host could not log in to BlogCarnival. If you are still interested in being included, and you have not submitted your post yet, you can contact him directly at his e-mail address, or you can just send it in to me. We will have the Carnival up soon!


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