Love sweets? Blame your folks

There's a story in my family about my great-grandmother baking a pie for the family. She tried a sliver, just to make sure it was good, and then another, and then another. Well, she ended up having to bake another pie because, by the time she finished "testing" it, there was nothing left. Obviously it didn't happen much -- she was very thin -- but I've always identified with her through this story.

This has never happened to me (honest), but it makes me wonder if a recent University of Toronto study is on to something. It found that people with a "genetic quirk" drank more sugary drinks, ate more sweets, and consumed more calories from the extra sugar. It's not surprising that these folks weighed more and had larger waists.

Personally, I don't think anyone should blame their genes for having a hard time putting down the cookies -- there are a lot of other factors involved in weight gain and loss. But, it makes me wonder if maybe Great-Grandma Zahrt passed down a genetic quirk.