Functional Food
The Surprising Reason Some People Crave Sugar More Than Others
Author:Ava DurginAugust 10, 2026
Assistant Health Editor
By Ava Durgin
Image by Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy
August 10, 2026
Have you ever wondered why one person can keep a pint of ice cream in the freezer for months while someone else thinks about dessert before dinner is even over?
It’s tempting to chalk it up to willpower. We often treat food preferences as choices we should simply have more control over. But anyone who has ever tried to ignore a persistent cravingknows it rarely feels that simple
Researchers have long known that our environment, habits, and upbringing shape what we eat. Now, a new study suggests our DNA may also deserve a seat at the table. Certain genetic differences appear to influence whether we’re naturally drawn to sweeter or fattier foods, and those inherited preferences may have ripple effects for body weight and metabolic health
The findings are still preliminary, but they offer an important reminder that cravings aren’t purely a character trait. They’re influenced by biology, too
Nearly half a million people’s genes & eating habits
beauty & gut collagen+
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The study, presented at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting, drew from the UK Biobank, a massive research database containing genetic, dietary, and health information from roughly 500,000 adults
Studying taste preferences at this scale isn’t easy. Instead of asking participants a single question about whether they liked sweets or salty foods, researchers combined detailed food preference questionnaires with sensory databases that categorize foods by characteristics like sweetness, fattiness, and saltiness. That allowed them to create genetic scores representing a person’s inherited tendency to prefer different tastes
They then tested whether those genetic scores actually lined up with real-world eating habits and health outcomes, while accounting for factors like age, sex, ancestry, and total calorie intake
Your genes may influence what ends up on your plate
People with a stronger genetic predisposition to prefer sweet foods did, in fact, eat more sweet foods, averaging about 7 extra grams each day. On its own, that may not sound like much. But eating just a little more sugar day after day, year after year, can gradually add up
The researchers also found that people with higher genetic scores for sweet and fat preferences tended to have higher body weight and a modestly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Much of that relationship appeared to be explained by greater consumption of hyperpalatable foods, the highly processed foods engineered to combine ingredients like sugar, fat, and salt in ways that make them especially difficult to stop eating
The genes themselves weren’t directly causing obesity or diabetes. Rather, they seemed to influence food preferences, which then shaped eating habits that affected long-term health
What this means if you’ve always had a sweet tooth
If you’ve always felt like desserts call your name a little louder than they do for your friends, there may be a biological reason. That doesn’t mean your future is predetermined, and it certainly doesn’t mean healthy eating is out of reach. It simply suggests that some people may need different strategies than others
One of the most practical takeaways is to work with your biology rather than against it. If you know you’re prone to cravings, building meals that keep you full can make those cravings much easier to manage. Prioritizing protein and fiber at every meal, choosing minimally processed foods most of the time, and avoiding long stretches without eating can all help reduce the urge to reach for hyperpalatable foods later in the day
You also don’t have to eliminate sweet foods altogether. Pairing dessert with a balanced meal instead of eating it on an empty stomach, satisfying your sweet tooth with naturally sweet foods like fruit, or using spices like cinnamon and vanilla to add sweetness without extra sugar are all strategies that may feel more sustainable than relying on willpower alone
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The takeaway
Nutrition advice often assumes we’re all starting from the same place. Studies like this suggest that’s probably not true
Your genes may nudge you toward certain foods, but they don’t write the entire story. Understanding those tendencies could eventually make healthy eating feel less like fighting your biology and more like working with it. And for many people, that shift in perspective may be just as valuable as the science itself
