Phenylthiocarbamide taste sensitivity and its relationship to growth variation

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Abstract
The hypothesis that there is a relationship between the tasting polymorphism and growth variation was tested on a sample of 425 Negro elementary school children. Twenty‐seven non‐tasters were found by testing with impregnated papers; 13 were male, 14 female, indicating no sex differences in this group. Matchedpair comparisons indicated no differences in weight, a tendency for tasters to be taller, and a stronger tendency for tasters of both sexes to be skeletally more mature. It was felt that the tendency for tasters to be taller might reflect their more advanced maturation status. The relationship to skeletal maturation might be indicative of the decreased thryoid activity found in other studies of phenylthiocarbamide tasting.