Children's taste sensitivity and food choices influenced by taste gene
Variation in a taste receptor gene influences taste sensitivity of children and adults, accounting for individual differences in taste preferences and food selection, report a team of researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center. In addition to genes, age and culture also contribute to taste preferences, at times overriding the influence of genetics. The findings may help to explain...Toasty oat aroma influenced by presence of health-linked polyphenols
Penn State food scientists have shown that the amount of health-linked polyphenols present during roasting or baking influences the toasty aroma developed by oats and might be used to limit the generation of off-flavors in oat products. Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring plant components that have been associated with a wide variety of health benefits. Flavonoids and so...Phenotype is influenced by nature, nurture and noise
Unscripted biochemical variations, or noise, leads to oscillations in gene regulation that couldn't otherwise be predicted In a paper in Proceeding...'Executive' monkeys influenced by other executives, not subordinates
When high-ranking monkeys are shown images of other monkeys glancing one way or the other, they more readily follow the gaze of other high-ranking monkeys, Duke University Medical Center neurobiologists have discovered. By contrast, they tend to ignore glance cues from low-status monkeys; while low-status monkeys assiduously follow the gaze of all other monkeys. The discovery represents mo...Birth weight may be influenced by genes
According to a new research in monkeys, they provide compelling evidence that DNA, particularly a type inherited only from the mother, plays an important role in determining a newborn's birth weight. Based on genetic analysis of six generations of macaque monkeys,// a team led by Dr. James C. Ha at the University of Washington in Seattle assessed that genes account for 45% of the inconsis...Smoking may be influenced by Parents
According to a new study it is observed by researchers that children who light their parents' cigarette or clean out the ashtray are likely to become smokers themselves. In addition, asking children to bring the cigarettes,// buy them at the store or light a cigarette for the parent are all behaviors that encourage children to smoke. Rafael Laniado-Laborin, M.D., from San Diego State U...Alcoholism Influenced By Both Genetics & Family Environment
In a study involving identical and non-identical twins, researchers conducted telephone interviews with 1,213 sets of male-male twins, average age 50.// The researchers’ goal was to better understand the hereditary and environmental effects on developing alcoholism -- not by studying the twins themselves, but by interviewing the twins’ children (ages 12 to 26) and the mothers of those chi...Adolescents Influenced By Maternal Attitude Regarding Weight Control
Mothers have been known to influence their children in shaping various aspects of their personality. It has now been found that their attitude towards eating habits and weight control// programs would in turn reflect on their teenagers as well. Perception of the teenager’s mother regarding the above concepts has been found crucial. A number of genetic and other environmental factors a...Prostate Cancer Test Is Influenced By Age and Nutrition Factors
An article appearing in the in the January 15, 2006 issue of CANCER, the journal of the American Cancer Society, says that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is subject to alteration by a variety of factors such as age, race, and diet. // This could lead to false positive or false negatives values of the test and could cause confusion in the diagnosis. The value under consideration...