Research Identifies CD36 as the 'Fat Gene'

Health

Research Identifies CD36 as the 'Fat Gene'

By Annie Hauser, Senior Editor

Scientists have discovered a gene present in 20 percent of the population that makes people prefer the taste of fatty foods.

MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2012 — If butter, cheese, and creamy dressings are constantly calling your name, your genes could be to blame. Research published in the journal Obesity says that a human’s preference for fat come down to a variation in a single gene. In a study of 317 African-American adults, researchers concluded that a certain variant of the CD36 gene causes people to be more sensitive to the taste of fat than people who have a different form of the gene. About 20 percent of the population is believed to have the fat-tasting variation.

In the study, researchers gave participants salad dressings with varying amounts of fatty canola oils. Then, participants were asked to rate their perceptions of the dressings’ oiliness, fat content, and creaminess, along with how much they liked certain fatty foods, such as sour cream, mayonnaise, bacon, and French fries. 

When researchers correlated participants with certain forms of the gene CD36, they found that the participants who had the “AA” form of the gene were more sensitive to the fat in foods. They also found that participants with the “AA” form of CD36 liked fatty foods more than those who had other forms of the gene.

"It is possible that the CD36 gene is associated with fat intake and therefore obesity through a mechanism of oral fat perception and preference," Kathleen Keller, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University and study researcher wrote in the study. "In other words, our results suggest that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may find fat creamier and more enjoyable than others. This may increase their risk for obesity and other health problems."

The research of Keller and her team comes only weeks after a similar analysis was presented in the Journal of Lipid Research. In this study, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis became the first to identify CD36 as a human receptor that can taste fat. In fact, researchers in the Washington University study found that people with the gene were eight times more sensitive to the presence of fat in foods.