不同的人喝咖啡喝到的味道不一樣

Do you prefer coffee or tea? The answer to that question might in part be down to your genes, research suggests.

你喜歡咖啡還是茶?根據(jù)現(xiàn)在的研究顯示，這個問題的答案可能取決于你的基因。

Scientists say a genetic predisposition to perceiving the bitterness of particular substances appears to nudge us towards one beverage or the other.

科學(xué)家們說：有一個基因上的差異關(guān)系到我們?nèi)绾胃兄囟ㄎ镔|(zhì)苦味，它似乎決定了我們更喜歡哪種飲料。

Dr Marilyn Cornelis, co-author of the research from Northwestern University in Illinois, said: “The study adds to our understanding of factors determining beverage preferences – taste, in particular – and why, holding all other factors constant, we still see marked between-person differences in beverage preference as well as the amount we consume.”

這項研究來自美國伊利諾伊州的西北大學(xué)，其中的聯(lián)合作者Marilyn Cornelis博士說：“這項研究讓我們對飲料偏好的理解又深了一步，尤其是在口味方面，它同時還解釋了為什么會有這樣的差異;在所有其他變量控制不變的前提下，我們依然發(fā)現(xiàn)飲料偏好和飲用量在人與人之間有明顯的差異。”

The study, published in the Scientific Reports journal, involved two sets of data. The first was a large twin study which showed that, at least in those of European ancestry, particular genetic variants are linked to the strength of perception of different tastes:

這項發(fā)表在《科學(xué)報道》期刊上的研究涵蓋了兩組數(shù)據(jù)。第一組來自一對大型雙生研究，他們顯示出一些特定的遺傳型關(guān)系到我們對不同味道的感知能力，至少對于歐洲裔的人來說是這樣的：

one specific variant was associated with slightly higher ratings of bitterness for caffeine, another to greater bitterness for quinine and a third to greater bitterness for a drug known as propylthiouracil, or prop.

其中一種遺傳型讓人更容易感知咖啡因的苦味，另一種型讓人更容易感知奎寧的苦味，第三種型讓人更容易感知一種叫丙基硫氧嘧啶的藥物的苦味，這種藥物簡稱prop。

The team found people with a greater genetic predisposition to perceiving the bitterness of caffeine drank a little more coffee, but an increased perception of the bitterness of quinine and prop were linked to a small reduction in coffee drinking.

研究團隊發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些更容易感受咖啡因苦味的人喝的咖啡要更多一些，而更容易感受奎寧和丙基硫氧嘧啶苦味的人喝的咖啡要少一些。

“While the effect of perception on your daily coffee intake might be relatively small – only a 0.15 cup per day increase – from a normal caffeine taster to a strong caffeine taster, it actually makes you 20% more likely to become a heavy drinker – drinking more than four cups per day,” said Jue Sheng Ong, first author of the research.

研究的第一作者Jue Sheng Ong說：“雖然這種感知的差異對你每天咖啡飲用量的影響比較小，重口者只比輕口者多0.15杯，但它卻讓你有20%更高的幾率成為重度飲用者;這里的重度飲用指的是一天喝咖啡超過4杯。”

The team also found that greater perception of the bitterness of prop was linked to a lower chance of being a heavy drinker of alcohol.

研究團隊還發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些更容易感受丙基硫氧嘧啶苦味的人成為酗酒者的幾率更低。