6533b827fe1ef96bd1286768

RESEARCH PRODUCT

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

subject

description

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 laboratory at 3, 6 and 12 months of age. Acceptance of a lactose-sweetened water solution compared to plain water was measured by the amounts ingested and hedonic responses (i.e., facial expression/overall response, rated separately by the experimenter and a parent). Associations between sweetness exposure and sweetness liking at 6 or 12 months were assessed by linear regressions. Neither at 6 (n=182) nor 12 months (n=197) was sweetness exposure associated with sweetness liking. While sweetness liking at 3 months was unrelated to sweetness liking at 6 months, the latter predicted sweetness liking at 12 months. This study indicates a relationship between sweetness liking at 6 and 12 months but cannot prove an association between sweetness exposure and liking at this age. Further research is needed to understand the early variability in sweetness liking.