New research led by Durham University suggests that babies may develop food preferences while still in the womb. The study reveals that newborns respond positively to the smells of foods their mothers consumed during pregnancy, which could offer valuable insights into how healthy eating habits are shaped from an early age.
The Role of Flavor Exposure During Pregnancy
The study, which involved researchers from Durham University, Aston University (UK), and CNRS and University of Burgundy (France), focused on how repeated exposure to certain foods in the womb can affect babies’ preferences after birth. The researchers examined the facial expressions of newborns whose mothers had taken either carrot or kale powder capsules during the final months of pregnancy.
The findings suggest that babies whose mothers had consumed carrot powder were more likely to show positive responses to the smell of carrots, and similarly, babies exposed to kale in utero were more likely to react favorably to kale’s scent.
Professor Nadja Reissland, co-lead author of the study and supervisor at Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, commented, “Our analysis of the babies’ facial expressions suggests that they appear to react more favorably towards the smell of foods their mothers ate during the last months of pregnancy. This could mean we could encourage babies to develop positive reactions to healthy foods like green vegetables, potentially helping to establish healthy eating habits early on.”
Previous Research and Study Design
This study builds on previous research from 2022, where researchers used 4D ultrasound scans to study fetal facial expressions in response to single doses of carrot or kale capsules taken by mothers. Fetuses exposed to carrot showed more “laughter-face” responses, while those exposed to kale showed more “cry-face” expressions.
For the current study, 32 babies (16 males and 16 females) from the original research cohort were followed up after birth. Mothers consumed either carrot or kale capsules daily for three consecutive weeks during the final trimester of pregnancy. When the babies were around three weeks old, their reactions to the smells of carrot, kale, and a neutral control odor (water) were tested.
The team used wet cotton swabs dipped in carrot or kale powder and held them under the babies’ noses to observe their reactions. The babies did not taste the powders, but the research team captured their facial responses on video to assess their reactions to the familiar and unfamiliar scents.
Findings: Positive Responses to Familiar Scents
The analysis revealed that babies exposed to carrot or kale in utero responded more positively to the corresponding food smells after birth. Babies who had been exposed to carrot showed more “laughter-face” expressions, while those who had been exposed to kale showed fewer “cry-face” expressions. These responses suggest that the babies not only detected the flavors in the womb but also remembered them and showed a preference for the familiar scents.
Dr. Beyza Ustun-Elayan, a co-lead author who conducted the research during her PhD at Durham University, explained, “Our research showed that fetuses can not only sense and distinguish different flavors in the womb but also start learning and establishing memories for certain flavors if exposed to them repeatedly. This shows that the process of developing food preferences begins much earlier than we thought, right from the womb.”
Implications for Shaping Healthy Eating Habits
These findings have significant implications for encouraging healthier eating habits in children. By introducing flavors such as vegetables during pregnancy, researchers suggest that it may be possible to shape babies’ food preferences and foster a positive attitude toward nutritious foods early in life.
“By introducing these flavors early on, we might be able to shape healthier eating habits in children from the start,” Dr. Ustun-Elayan added.
However, the researchers caution that their study is a baseline study, and longer-term studies are needed to determine the long-term effects of prenatal flavor exposure on children’s eating behaviors.
Future Research Directions
The researchers acknowledge several limitations in their study. For instance, there was no control group of infants who were not exposed to any specific flavors, making it difficult to isolate the impact of flavor exposure on babies’ responses. Future studies will need to include a control group and examine how post-birth experiences (such as milk formulas with varying tastes) might influence babies’ responses to foods.
Additionally, the study involved a relatively small sample of white British mothers, and future research should expand to explore how cultural dietary practices might affect fetal receptivity to a broader range of flavors.
Professor Jackie Blissett from Aston University, another co-author of the study, commented, “These findings add to the weight of evidence that suggests that the flavors of foods eaten by mothers during late pregnancy are learned by the fetus, preparing them for the flavors they are likely to encounter in postnatal life.”
Professor Benoist Schaal from CNRS, also a co-author, added, “Fetuses not only detect minute amounts of all types of flavors the mothers ingest, but they overtly react to them and remember them while in the womb, and then after birth for quite long times. In this way, mothers have an earlier-than-early teaching role, as the providers of the infant’s first odor or flavor memories.”
Conclusion
This groundbreaking research opens up new possibilities for how mothers can influence their babies’ food preferences, potentially fostering healthier eating habits from the very beginning. Although the study is just the start, the findings indicate that the foundation for a child’s food preferences may be laid much earlier than previously thought, during pregnancy. Further research will be needed to explore the long-term impact of prenatal flavor exposure, but these early results provide valuable insights into shaping a healthier future for children.
You Might Be Interested In:
-
Social and Health Disparities Drive Brain Aging in Latin America
-
Ethnicity and Mental Health Impact Brain Health in Rural Older Adults
-
Breakthrough Study Identifies New Approach for Addressing Alzheimer’s at Early Stages
