Are you?

Some years ago, KLS suggested, based on something she’d read, that I was a supertaster. This is a term used to describe someone that has particular, possibly abnormal (although the actual percentage of supertasters is unknown) sensitivity to certain types of food. It’s neither a good nor a bad thing: supertasters simply taste certain foods differently.

The cause of ‘supertasting’ is twofold. First, supertasters have a greater density of tastebuds, and therefore can taste with greater ‘resolution’. This allows them to distinguish smaller concentrations of taste. Secondly, supertasters have a sensitivity to a chemical called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). About half of people can’t taste this at all, about a quarter of people can taste it and find it bitter, and the other 25% of people are sensitive to it and have a strong negative reaction.

PROP is present in many foods, but particularly common in a few, including vegetables (particularly brussel sprouts and cabbage), coffee, grapefruits, chili peppers (the burn is much more pronounced for supertasters) and olives.

At this point, you may want to re-read the list at the start of this old post…

I have often, in my life, had a strong negative reaction when eating certain foods. And I don’t mean psychological. I remember many times as a child (and occasionally as an adult), gagging uncontrollably when eating something I found particularly unpleasant. This is apparently a not-uncommon reaction for a supertaster when they eat food containing a large concentration of PROP.

Am I actually a supertaster? Who knows. But do I believe – objectively – that the evidence supports the possibility that I am?

I’d have to say “Yes”.