Having a sweet tooth might actually make you slimmer

IF you have a sweet tooth you might be fearful of piling on the pounds in moments of weakness.

But millions of people carrying a special variation of a specific gene – which makes them more likely to enjoy sugary treats – may have less body fat than average.

The ‘A’ version of the FGF21 gene gives about one in five of us a sweet tooth.

Now a study of 450,000 Britons has found those with two copies of the genetic variant are slimmer than might be expected.

Those affected had 0.2 per cent less body fat than others, according to the study led by the University of Exeter.

Scientists think the unexpected results may be explained by people who eat more sugary snacks spending less time eating protein and fat. While nutritionists warn against eating too much sugar, experts believe it is protein and fat that make us more likely to put on weight.

The downside is that people carrying the sweet tooth gene appear to be more appleshaped, putting more fat onto their upper body, which increases their risk of high blood pressure.

Professor Timothy Frayling, the molecular geneticist who led the study from the University of Exeter, said: ‘Sugar is not necessarily as evil as people think.

‘We were surprised that the version of the gene associated with eating more sugar is associated with lower body fat. It may reduce body fat because the same allele also results in a lower consumption of protein and fat in the diet.’

The ‘A version’ of the FGF21 gene was found to lead to greater sugar and alcohol consumption, based on questionnaires completed by 450,000 participants from the UK Biobank, which contains medical data on 500,000 people in Britain.

But it was also linked to higher blood pressure, which is caused by fat in the upper part of the body wrapping around the pancreas, liver and heart.

Professor Frayling said people who have this version of the gene should not worry as the effects on individuals were small.

The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.