Have you ever wondered why some people love beer while others can’t seem to bring themselves to enjoy the taste? Well, there might be more to it than you think.
Research has uncovered several reasons why some prefer the beverage, from basic instincts to our genetics. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the reason?
Simply, the answer to why some people enjoy beer compared to others comes down to genetics. This is because genetics influence how our brain chooses to process the taste of food and beverages.
The bitter taste of beer specifically triggers our evolutionary wiring, intended to keep us away from potential dangerous foods.
Researchers behind a study published in the Journal Chemosensory Perception concluded” “Bitter taste is considered a warning system for poisoning. Many toxic compounds appear to taste bitter; yet, toxicity seems not to be directly correlated with the taste threshold concentrations of bitter compounds.”
As this warning system is stronger for some than others, it determines the reactions of a person and whether or not they enjoy particular tastes.
Source: foodydirect
Why are some flavours harder to swallow than others?
The human body has five types of taste cells within the taste buds – these determine salty, sweet, sour, savoury and bitter flavours.
Once a flavour has been identified, taste receptors then send this information via nerves to the brain stem. To put the complexity of this into perspective, bitter alone has 25 different taste receptors in the body.
Some flavours are harder to swallow than others simply because of our instincts. If our evolutionary instincts identify a taste as unsafe, our taste buds will choose to reject it.
