Food preferences 'established at birth'
Food preferences 'established at birth'
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Tuesday, 27, Jun 2006 01:43
Adult dietary habits are determined by hereditary and family customs, according to scientists at the Institute of Food Technologists' annual conference.
Although people can consciously vary their diet to promote their health, Catherine Forestell, a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre, told the conference that food preferences may start during pregnancy.
Dr Forestell said that taste buds form during the seventh week of gestation and during pregnancy the amniotic fluid absorbs the odour of the food consumed by the mother.
"We can increase children's acceptance of healthy foods by having mothers vary their diets during pregnancy and breastfeeding," said Dr Forestell.
"Repeated exposure, only eight or nine times, leads to greater acceptance of a vegetable."
Dr John de Castro, dean of humanities and social sciences at Sam Houston State University, added that the link between food consumed during pregnancy and the eating habits of adults has been confirmed by his studies of identical and fraternal twins' diets.
However, he added that although hereditary factors play a role in establishing food preferences, families and entire populations are able to monitor their health by consciously altering the food they eat.