Originally published January 9 2006
New study of infants finds birth weight influences taste preferences
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published a report from the Monell Chemical Senses Center that demonstrates birth weight influences taste preferences.
Smaller babies may have greater liking for salty taste A new study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center may shed light on why some people like salt more than others.
In a paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Monell researchers report that individual differences in salty taste acceptance by two-month old infants are inversely related to birth weight: lighter birth weight infants show greater acceptance of salt-water solutions than do babies who were heavier at birth.
A similar relationship was found in a subset of the same children at preschool age, suggesting that the relationship between salty taste preference and birth weight persists at least through early childhood, a critical time for the formation of flavor and food preferences.
Such information could potentially be used in programs designed to reduce salt intake, which is believed by many to contribute to the development and maintenance of high blood pressure.
In the study, 80 healthy babies weighing at least 5.5 lb. (2.5 kg) at birth were given separate bottles containing plain water and salt water.
When the amount of salt water the babies drank was compared to the amount of plain water, preference for the salt water was greater in lower-birth weight babies, while higher birth weight babies tended to reject the salty water.
When salty taste acceptance was assessed in 38 of the same children at preschool age (3-4 years), measures of salty taste acceptance were once again related to birth weight, with increased liking and preference for salty foods evident in lower birth weight children.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, scientists collaborate in the areas of: sensation and perception, neuroscience and molecular biology, environmental and occupational health, nutrition and appetite, health and well being, and chemical ecology and communication.
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