Study shows taste for meat and fish inherited

[theHandpuppet]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=873532006

Study shows taste for meat and fish inherited

LONDON (Reuters) - Children inherit their taste for meat and fish but when it comes to vegetables and desserts it's more nurture than nature, according to a study on Wednesday.

Scientists who compared the food preferences of identical and fraternal twins found that some tastes are inherited while others are acquired.

"This is the first study to include significant numbers of protein foods and the first to show a high heritability for these," said Professor Jane Wardle of the charity Cancer Research UK.

Mothers of 103 pairs of four and five-year-old identical twins and 111 pairs of non-identical twins were given lists of 77 foods in different categories and told to rate how much their children liked them....

MORE

[Redstone]

1. So if you're a vegetarian, your kids will be inclined toward Boca Burgers

rather than beef burgers? They taste pretty much the same (meaning that I'm wondering if it's the flavor / mouth feel rather that the actual meat the kids inherit the taste for, because Boca Burgers ain't half bad).

I'm genuinely curious, not insulting anyone (for a change).

Redstone

[1620rock]

2. Meat is murder...go veggie.

[Redstone]

3. Be that as it may, that's not what I was asking.

Redstone

[Igel]

6. I don't think we can infer that.

I'm not at all convinced that preferences and 'taste' are the same thing, based upon my vague recollection of the summary of a study in which--I think--some kids were found to consistently prefer high-sugar foods, even if the sugar was masked by sourness (while other kids liked high-sugar foods only when they tasted sweet). But I'd hate to try to track that down.

Boca burgers are yummy, and I like them, and they taste like hamburgers, pretty much; but I don't much like beef burgers, or beef in general. Not vegetarian, I just don't like beef.

I can't find a citation for this research; perhaps it's forthcoming or a presentation. I'll try to remember to check next month, if only because it's interesting.

[darkism]

7. If anything, this seems to imply that...

...eating meat is the natural thing to do.

The PETA folks' heads will explode over THAT one.

[jedr]

4. Explains my side of the family's love of sea food;

and my wifes side dislike.:think:

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. curious. I do come from a long line of meat eaters...

almost no ancestors from coastal regions.

Here I thought my taste for beef came from being raised in a cow-town. :shrug: