Hatred of green vegetables starts in the womb

Hatred of green vegetables starts in the womb


4D ultrasound scans show babies smile when their mom eats carrots but grimace when she picks cabbage.

vegetables, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, greens, Photo by Natalia Bakhareva
Photo by Natalia Bakhareva

While some people love salads, for others it sounds more like a punishment.

A recent study showed that babies begin to respond to different tastes while still in the womb.

Scientists from the University of Durham performed 4D ultrasound scans on 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies reacted after being exposed to the flavors of the foods their mothers ate.

The results showed how the fetuses smiled shortly after their mothers ate carrots, but grimaced when their mothers picked cabbage.

The findings suggest that what pregnant women eat can affect their babies' taste preferences after birth.

If so, the results may have implications for healthy eating habits.

Previous research has shown that babies can taste and smell in the womb by inhaling and swallowing amniotic fluid.

However, these studies were based on postpartum outcomes.

Now, the researchers tested whether babies can taste in the womb by assessing their response to taste sensations before birth.

The team recruited 100 pregnant women aged 18 to 40 and performed 4D ultrasound scans at both 32 and 36 weeks.

Photo: FETAP
Photo: FETAP

The women were given one capsule 20 minutes prior to each scan containing either 400 mg carrots or 400 mg cabbage powder and were asked not to consume any other foods or flavored drinks that might affect the children's response.

Meanwhile, some women in the control group were not given any capsules.

The results showed that just a small amount of carrot or cabbage flavor was enough to stimulate a response in the fetus.

When the women consumed carrots, the fetuses tended to smile when scanned, but when they consumed the cabbage capsule, the fetuses tended to grimace.

“It was really amazing to watch the reaction of unborn babies to the taste of cabbage or carrots during the scan and share those moments with their parents,” said lead author Beiza Ustun.

According to Professor Benoît Schaal of the University of Burgundy, co-author of the study, the findings suggest that a range of chemical irritants pass through the mother's diet into the fetal environment.

“This could have important implications for understanding the development of our taste and smell receptors, as well as the perception and memory associated with them. As a result, we believe that this re-exposure to pre-natal tastes may help establish post-natal eating habits, which may be important in thinking about promoting healthy eating and avoiding weaning food rushes,” added Ms Ustun. .

Now the team has begun a follow-up study with the same children after birth to see what their reactions to food are now.

Professor Jackie Blissett of Aston University concluded: “It could be argued that repeated exposure to tastes during pregnancy may lead to a preference for tastes experienced after delivery. In other words, exposure of the fetus to less "favorite" flavors, such as cabbage, may mean that the fetus becomes accustomed to these flavors in utero. The next step is to study whether the fetus shows fewer “negative” reactions to these tastes over time when babies first taste them outside of the womb.”

Christina DENISYUK.

Source www.dailymail.co.uk



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