The Surprising Reason Some People Crave Sugar More Than Others

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 craving knows 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 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.

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.

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.

Nutrition advice often assumes we're all starting from the same place. Studies like this suggest that's probably not true.