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When we eat sweet food, our livers secrete a hormone called FGF21.
But new research reveals some people have particular variations of this hormone – which makes them crave more sugary treats.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found that people with particular variants of the FGF21 gene were about 20 percent more likely to have an unabated sweet tooth.
Matthew Gillum, an assistant professor of biological sciences, led the study with Niels Grarup, an associate professor of metabolic genetics at the University of Copenhagen.
Prof Gillum said: ‘The data, mined from a study of the lifestyles and metabolic health of 6,500 Danish individuals, is a really surprising insight into the potential hormonal basis of the sweet tooth.’
The study also raises new ideas about the role of the liver in controlling what we eat. Food pass form stomach to intestines, and from intestines to liver.
The liver could also secrete other hormones that guide food choices.