Sweet taste sensitivity genetic risk score and alignment to diet quality among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts

Authors: JULIAN-SERRANO, SACHELLY - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; POMARES-MILLAN, HUGO - Dartmouth Medical School; MANGANO, KELSEY - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; NOEL, SABRINA - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; LI, WENJUN - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; FOUHY, LIAM - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; ZHANG, XIYUAN - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell; GERVIS, JULIE - Harvard University; ORDOVAS, JOSE - Tufts University; Lai, Chao Qiang; TUCKER, KATHERINE - University Of Massachusetts, Lowell

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Do your taste genes influence how healthy your diet is? Researchers studied over 580 older Puerto Rican adults living in the Boston area and calculated a “sweet taste” genetic score for each person based on their DNA. They then compared these scores to how closely people followed four healthy diets, including the DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, and others. They found that people with genes linked to stronger sweet taste sensitivity were less likely to follow the DASH diet—a plan designed to help lower blood pressure. However, these genes didn’t affect how well people followed the other healthy diets. This suggests that our genetic makeup may play a small role in shaping our food preferences, especially in relation to sweet tastes. More research in diverse groups is needed to better understand how taste-related genes could impact healthy eating habits and help tailor nutrition advice.

Technical Abstract: Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic variants associated with sweet taste sensitivity and preference. However, the influence of genetic predisposition to sweet taste on alignment to diet quality indices remains unexplored. Objective: To compare cross-sectional associations between genetically driven sweet taste perception in polygenic scores (PGS) and alignment to four diet quality indices in a cohort of Puerto Rican older adults residing in the Boston area. Methods: We used baseline data from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (n=583). Sweet-taste sensitivity PGS was built using 38 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from published GWAS on sweet taste outcomes (aspartame, fructose, glucose, neohespedirin dihydrochalcone, sucrose, and sweet substances). We evaluated alignment to four common diet quality indices using data from a validated food frequency questionnaire: Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020), Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Mediterranean diet (MeD). Linear regression models between sweet-taste PGS and each diet quality indices were used to estimate associations and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: In 428 females and 155 males, the mean age at baseline was 52.2 ± 7.5 y, and PGS scores ranged from 30.0 to 50.1 points. Compared to those participants with the lowest sweet-taste PGS quartile (Q1), those in the highest PGS quartile (Q4) had lower alignment to DASH scores (ß:-0.32; 95% CI: -0.55, -0.09), but not to the AHEI-2010 (ß:-0.17; 95% CI: -0.40, 0.07), HEI-2020 (ß: 0.10; 95% CI: -0.13, 0.33) or MeD (ß: -0.18; 95%: -0.41, 0.06 ) Conclusion: Puerto Rican adults with higher sweet-taste genetic sensitivity had lower alignment to one of four diet quality indices, the DASH diet score, commonly used in chronic disease prevention, but not to the AHEI-2010, HEI-2020, or MeD. These findings highlight the cumulative influence of sweet-taste genetic variants on overall diet quality. More research is needed on taste susceptibility and dietary intake across underrepresented populations, to inform interventions.