Link: True or Fat?
“Obesity now contributes to the death
of more than 360,000 Americans a year. Alarm bells are going off all over the
place,” exclaims Iowa Senator, Tom Harkin. Many people in the United States
realize the dangers of over consumption and obesity, but few are actually aware
of realistic solutions to this disease that is sweeping the nation. This
curiosity, coupled with rising national death rates, sparks scientists’
intrigue to seek potential causes outside the realm of the obvious exercise
lack. Scientists have discovered a new cause that many believe to be
groundbreaking: A direct link between one’s inherent taste preferences in relation
to his/her chance of becoming obese. Recent findings show that taste preferences
become established as early as the embryonic stage, and these preferences may
be linked to a person’s desire to overeat. The dangers make this question
urgent; however, diet and exercise are an unbeatable remedy that remains
timelessly true. Though there is a plethora of evidence that supports said link
between taste perceptions and obesity dangers, the connection alone does not
predict food consumption to the extent that many scientists argue.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42109761@N00/4993581135/in/photostream/
Obesity puts one at a higher risk for many hazardous conditions
and these conditions cause death rates to increase across the nation. Common
troubles that result from this disease include gallstones, type II diabetes,
high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary artery
disease, a stroke, sleep apnea, and the list goes on and on. With a seemingly
infinite amount of affordable food now available to the average American, these
health issues are pressing. NY Times says in March of 2004, “Obesity is near to
overtaking smoking as the number one cause of [preventable] death in the
US…Poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths, or 16.6 percent of
the total, the report said ("Death Rate From Obesity Gains Fast On
Smoking”). This statistic alone shows the rapid fatality rates, as the death
toll has gone up by a speculated 40,000 Americans since Senator Harkin’s 2002
quote. The risks associated with being obese are predominantly undeniable, and
many unfortunate Americans remain trapped in this danger zone. Keeping this in
mind, many scientists frantically search to “strike gold” and find a
groundbreaking discovery that can be used to decelerate this epidemic.
“We discovered something
that should have been obvious —..if you're fat, you like sweet and fat better —
that's part of what keeps you fat,” sensory scientist, Linda Bartoshuk, says
(Crow). Bartoshuk attended Brown University where she obtained her Ph.D. in
1965. She is extremely interested in taste and typically focuses much of her
studies upon this highly researched theory ("Ask
the Scientists”). Exploration into this
link dates back to at least the 1950’s, and Bartoshuk is not alone in being
convinced of its significance. To name a few other scientists dedicated to this
discovery; Monteleone, Frewer, Wakeling, and Mela have all also done extensive
research to prove this connection. Their findings are included in their study
titled “Individual Differences in Starchy Food Consumption: The Application of
Preference Mapping." Like Bartoshuk, these scientists argue that people
whose taste preferences prefer a certain kind of food that is more likely to
cause obesity will, then, show a trend of being obese ("Individual
Differences in Starchy Food Consumption: The Application of Preference
Mapping”).
Many tests are done to obtain these results, but the most
predominant are those that expose one’s genetic “ability” to taste. One way
scientists do this is to give a subject a piece of paper to insert into his or
her mouth. This piece of paper contains a special substance called PROP and
each different “level” of tasting ability can be determined based upon one’s
reaction to this chemical. The subjects are asked to describe their perceptions
by labeling the experience as “bitter,” “somewhat bitter,” or “extremely bitter”
and the results are recorded. The parallels between the link are exploited when
the recorded reactions are compared to the subject’s BMI. Another way to expose
this link is to place blue food dye on one’s tongue. It is speculated that
different taste buds (which account for the different “levels” of taste), hold
the stain differently. ("Individual Differences in Starchy Food
Consumption: The Application of Preference Mapping").
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkingdesign/5550078101/
Many scientists that carry out these
experiments portray these tests as overwhelming evidence; however, the results
are extremely unpredictable and scattered. In the paper test, one is instructed
to explain their reaction by placing it into one of three (and easily
overlapping) categories. Claiming that obesity levels directly correlate with
tasting abilities is simply invalid when the evidence relies on something as
insubstantial as one’s differentiation between “somewhat bitter” and “bitter.”
These scales are not at all reliable and in reality, the perceived intensities
vary based upon the substances being judged.
As if the flaws in the tests weren’t
enough to weaken this claim, all of the other causes for obesity make this
claim negligible. When researching causes for obesity, the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) lists many examples of such but never once mentions taste
preferences as a leading factor. If this discovery was as significant as some
scientists make it out to be, it would make sense for it to be present on a
website that is the nation’s leader in health information. The CDC and other
leading research hot spots instead include factors like environment and
socioeconomic status, genetics (but a completely different aspect), diseases
drugs and alcohol, emotions and habits, and an abundance of even more
contributors ("Adult Obesity
Facts"). Environments and socioeconomic status can
become an overwhelmingly important factor. If one wants to walk to the store or
to a friends house, for example, it would be much more dangerous if the subject
was living in a community with a higher rate of crime (typically associated with
people of a lower income bracket). This danger would almost always incline
someone to drive instead of walk, and decrease his/her level of physical
activity. Also, when feeding a family of four, someone under the same economic
stresses would be much more likely to order from the dollar menu than spend the
money on healthier dining options. Genetics is also a very notable
contributor when taking into account certain genetic diseases like Bardet-Biedl
syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome, which are both proven to cause obesity.
Other diseases that are not genetic, however also lead to obesity, include
Cushing’s disease and polycystic ovary syndrome. Drugs and alcohol are known
causes for this disease and are crucial because they are preventable. Drugs
such as steroids and antidepressants may have weight gain as a side affect
while alcohol consumption comes at a large caloric cost. Emotions and habits
can also lead to overconsumption as well in the satisfaction of food that can
help appease depression and other emotional states. When looking at all
of these different components, the link becomes just another negligible drop in
the bucket of a long list.
Ultimately, the risks associated with being obese are not going to be remedied
by some “cure-all” scientific discovery. The links between predisposed taste
abilities and obesity may be somewhat true, but the tests and results do not
back up the evidence at substantial levels. Known causes are much more
reliable, all the way from depression to alcoholism, and these are the factors
that should be honed in on.
Hannah Sandy
