Nosce te ipsum

[riontel]

People often ask me if there is a specific reason why I don't drink alcohol. My standard answer is that I don't like the taste and can't be bothered to overcome the aversion. Recently, however, something triggered my interest and I did a bit of research. According to some studies, there is a group of people collectively referred to as "supertasters" who have a heightened sensitivity to certain tastes. Specifically, these people can taste the bitterness of phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and propylthiouracil (PROP) which other people find tasteless. This ability is genetic and varies in intensity and in some cases explains why a person is a "picky eater." Individual tastes differ but among the commonly less preferred foods are: alcohol, coffee, carbonated drinks, grapefruit juice, tonic water, olives. There are others but these just happen to be high on the list of foods I actively avoid. I was surprised onions were not included.

The interesting thing is that according to 23andMe I am unlikely to have "bitter taste perception." Of course, they also think I am likely to have brown eyes and sprinter's muscles and that's wrong too.

My father doesn't like the taste of alcohol either, but he succumbed to peer pressure and learned to drink in social situations.

Comments

[spamsink.livejournal.com]

In all fairness, a 40% solution of ethanol in water with a hint of glucose and citric acid, commonly known as vodka has neither PTC nor PROP in it.

[riontel.livejournal.com]

Those compounds are just used to test for the extra sensitivity to bitterness, they are not necessarily what causes the bitterness in some of the foods.

[spamsink.livejournal.com]

The "bitter" taste of ethanol in vodka is universal. It's just people who drink vodka willingly like the inebriating effect so much that they are willing to ignore the taste.

[riontel.livejournal.com]

"Every single test subject said that ethanol is bitter, even when it was present only as a 0.3% solution. The second most common taste descriptor, however, was that ethanol tasted sweet... From this research, it seemed clear that people find alcohol both bitter and sweet. Everyone appears to find alcohol bitter, but apparently not extremely bitter, regardless of concentration. People also thought alcohol was sweet, but once again, only slightly, regardless of concentration... supertasters found all bitter drinks to taste more bitter."

[dimrub.livejournal.com]

Интересно. Я тоже много разных видов пищи не переношу, и алкоголь до какого-то момента терпеть не мог, но теперь к некоторым видам оного испытываю если не благосклонность, то как минимум терпимость.

[riontel.livejournal.com]

Наверняка тут еще много разных факторов есть, включая привычку. Очень возможно, что если бы я задалась целью, то могла бы найти какой–нибудь не совсем противный алкогольный напиток, хотя я даже конфеты с ликером не ем. Мне было в основном интересно найти подтверждение, что это действительно что–то физиологическое, а не психическоеологическое.

[a-lazy-legend.livejournal.com]

You do meticulous reading and research just to prove you're not crazy. Give it up :)

[riontel.livejournal.com]

I am not obsessive, I am just very focused :)

[rkatsyv.livejournal.com]

No one likes the taste of alcohol itself. People sometimes like the way it combines with or enhances other tastes or just tolerate it for the sake of its effect.

[riontel.livejournal.com]

Learning to drink for the sake of inebriation is outside the scope. Even if nobody likes the taste of pure alcohol (ethanol) many people enjoy the taste of it mixed with other substances. For some people, though, the bitterness overwhelms any other taste. For instance, every alcoholic drink I've ever tried, tasted unbearably bitter to me, including sweet cocktails and liquors. I can't eat desserts with alcohol in them. It's not the same as alcohol intolerance so if need be I could force something alcoholic down my throat, say, cough syrup.

[a-lazy-legend.livejournal.com]

Preach!