Genetic variations underlying bitter and sweet taste perception are associated with food and beverage intake habits and taste-modifying behaviors among Dutch adults with a prior myocardial infarction

Taste perception influences eating behaviors and varies partly based on genetics. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified many variants related to bitter, sweet, salt, sour, and umami perception (taste-related variants), but whether these variants inform eating behaviors among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unknown. This study investigated the associations of taste-related variants with eating behaviors in adults with a prior myocardial infarction (MI) and explored the potential for sex-specific effects. Analyzed, were 4,204 Dutch adults with a prior MI from the Alpha Omega Cohort (60–80 years; 21% female; BMI: 27.7 ± 3.8 kg/m 2 ). We selected 39 taste-related variants identified in prior GWAS and determined their associations with reported intake frequency of 19 food and beverage groups and 7 taste-modifying behaviors (e.g. adding sugar to coffee) using multivariable regression models adjusted for demographic, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. 32/39 taste-related variants were nominally ( p < 0.05) associated with at least one food or beverage group or taste-modifying behavior, of which 6 passed Bonferroni adjustment ( p < 0.05/19 or 0.05/7, respectively). The strongest associations were for rs1726866––a functional variant in the TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene––for which each additional G allele related to higher bitter perception was associated with less frequent coffee (β = −1.1 servings/week; 95% CI: −1.75, −0.42) and more frequent tea intake (β = 1.0 servings/week: 95% CI: 0.42, 1.64). Other significant associations were identified for bitter-related variants with less frequent legume intake and addition of full-fat milk to coffee and sweet-related variants with more frequent red/orange vegetable and full-fat dairy intake. Exploratory interaction analyses also suggested potential sex-specific effects; for example, rs1726866 (G) was associated with adding less sugar to coffee among females, but more among males. Bitter- and sweet-related variants were associated with food and beverage intake habits and taste-modifying behaviors in adults with a prior MI, with some evidence for sex-specificity. These findings support the relevance of taste-related variants to eating behaviors among CVD patients and suggest the benefit of leveraging these genetic factors when tailoring dietary recommendations for reducing secondary cardiovascular risk.