What an animal chooses to eat can either induce or retard the developm
ent of obesity; this review summarizes what is known about the genetic
determinants of nutrient selection and its impact on obesity in human
s and rodents. The selection of macronutrients in the diet appears to
be, in part, heritable. Genes that mediate the consumption of sweet-ta
sting carbohydrate sources have been mapped and are being isolated and
characterized. Excessive dietary fat intake is strongly tied to obesi
ty, and several studies suggest that a preference for fat and the resu
lting obesity are partially genetically determined. Identifying genes
involved in the excess consumption of dietary fat will be an important
key to our understanding of the genetic disposition toward common die
tary obesity.