Craving salty foods? It could be the fault of your genes

Your incessant love of salty foods might be hereditary

Close-Up Of French Fries
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Ever wondered why you find yourself reaching for salty savoury foods over anything else? Well experts have found that some people are predisposed to craving salty foods, making their taste buds especially sensitive to bitter flavours and they are nearly twice as likely to consume excessive amounts of salt.

Previous research has found that common variant of a gene called TAS2R38 tended to avoid healthy foods with bitter properties, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and dark leafy greens, because they tasted the bitterness particularly intensely. The latest research by the University of Kentucky found that people with the TAS2R38 gene were nearly twice (1.9 times times) more likely to consume above the recommended levels of sodium.

Current recommendations state that adults should eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day, but why does it matter? A diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure - and constantly raised blood pressure will put a strain on your heart and increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

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Researchers looked at the food diaries of 407 people who had two or more heart disease risk factors and were participating in a cardiovascular risk-reduction. The average age of participants was 51-years-old and 73 per cent were female.

Lead researcher Jennifer Smith, presenting her findings at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions meeting in New Orleans, said that genetic factors that influence taste aren't necessarily obvious to people, but they can impact heart health by influencing the foods they select.

"There is some research suggesting that individuals who taste bitter more intensely may also taste salt more intensely and enjoy it more, leading to increased sodium intake. Another theory is that they use salt to mask the bitter taste of foods and thus consume more sodium. By identifying which gene variant a person has, we may be able to help them make better food choices through education that is personally tailored to them."

She added that there are alternatives you can use to flavour foods, and we need to begin investigating those.


But the study also found that participants with the bitter-enhancing genes were not likely to eat more than the recommended daily amounts of sugar, saturated fats or alcohol. The genetics only increased their taste for salt.

How much salt should we be eating?

Adults should eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day. This is roughly equal to one teaspoonful. Children under 11 should be eating less than this:


    Three quarters of the salt we eat comes from food we buy, often hidden in salt-heavy processed, pre-packaged and restaurant foods. This means you can easily exceed the recommended daily limit.

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