Love a burger but can’t stand coriander? There could be a scientific reason for that

A preference for one group of foods is not simply about ‘picky eating’ – rather, it is something driven by our genes and biology, writes Ian Hamilton

This new intelligence has implications for how we choose certain food types over others (Getty/iStock)

The range and choice of food we can buy has exploded in recent years, and much of it does little to help our waistlines. Paralleling the increased availability of junk food is the rise in obesity. A lot of this food is designed to tempt us, appealing to our desire for sweet and fatty foods that are high in calories, salt and fats. It has little nutritional value but fills you up.

We don’t currently have a good understanding of what drives taste, including why we are attracted to some food types over others. In the main, it has been assumed that we all have a degree of control over the food we decide to eat and how often we consume it. This can lead to discrimination and fat shaming of those who are overweight and obese.

New research provides fascinating insights into how taste works from a biological perspective. Scientists had access to 189,000 people, assessed which food types they liked and asked them to rate how good they tasted. Rather than a clear divide between savoury and sweet, the participants rated how likeable a food was. For example, a preference for orange or apple juice correlated with high ratings for desserts rather than fruit, which is counterintuitive.