The relationship between sweetness exposure and sweetness liking in infants 3-12 months of age

2022

Infants are increasingly exposed to sweet-tasting foods in their first year of life but it is still unclear whether repeated exposure to those is related to sweetness liking during this period. The study aimed to use the OPALINE cohort to examine the influence of sweetness exposure on liking during two important changes in early infant feeding: at the start of complementary feeding (3-6 months) and the transition to the family table (10-12 months). Infants' sweetness exposure was assessed using monthly 7-day food records completed by mothers (n=312), indicating the number and timing of each feeding of breast/formula milk or complementary foods. Infants' sweetness liking was studied in the l…