Tastes in food have distant origins: in fact, they begin to shape themselves already in the mother’s womb. And this offers an interesting indication for future parents: a varied diet rich in vegetables during pregnancy could help children become familiar with some flavors even before birth, perhaps making them less wary of certain vegetables in their childhood years. This is suggested by a study by the universities of Durham and Aston, recently published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology. The research describes how sensory stimuli received before birth can leave a lasting trace in children’s memories, guiding their reactions to certain smells and foods.
In the third trimester, humans are already developed enough to taste and smell flavors that reach the amniotic fluid. Various research has shown that fetuses react to the flavors of the foods eaten by the mother already at this early stage of development. A 2022 study, for example, used 4D ultrasound to observe the facial expressions of fetuses after the mother consumed capsules containing carrot or kale. Fetuses exposed to carrots more often showed expressions similar to a “smiling face”, while those exposed to kale more often showed expressions similar to a “crying face”.
In the new research the authors wanted to verify whether those reactions and that possible conditioning lasted into childhood. At the age of three, 12 of the children who had participated in the previous experiment were presented with the odors of kale and carrot, also used in the previous tests, on cotton swabs, and it was observed how they reacted. Overall, three-year-olds showed fewer negative reactions to vegetable odors they had been exposed to in utero during pregnancy. Kale, with a more bitter taste, generally aroused more negative reactions than carrots, but early exposure seems to have attenuated them.
The “taste gym” inside the belly
The research, the authors themselves warn, is not free from limitations, starting from the very small size of the sample studied. Furthermore, the young participants did not actually eat anything or choose what to eat: their reactions to the smell of the two vegetables were simply observed. Furthermore, it was not possible to completely exclude the influence of post-birth eating experiences. The results, however, are considered interesting enough to merit further investigation. And given that a balanced and varied diet during pregnancy has positive effects on many aspects of maternal and child health, the possibility that early exposure to certain flavors helps children accept them better as they grow is one more reason to pay attention to what you bring to the table.