A long-term study has shown that children who were exposed to the smell of vegetables while in their mothers' wombs tend to respond positively to it when they reach three years of age.
The study focused on analyzing children's reactions to the smell of carrots and kale, to explore how early prenatal exposure to vegetables might affect their later eating habits.
The experts followed up on two previous studies involving fetuses and newborns, in which their mothers took capsules containing carrots or kale during the later stages of pregnancy.
The study, led by Durham University, found that three-year-old children whose mothers had taken carrot powder capsules during pregnancy showed fewer negative reactions to the smell of carrots.
Similarly, children whose mothers took kale powder capsules during pregnancy reacted positively to the smell of this plant.
These results indicate that young children retain a memory of the taste and smell of foods they were exposed to in late pregnancy.
Professor Nadia Reisland, from the Department of Psychology at Durham University, commented: "When you look at the reactions of three-year-olds, you can see that it is a genuine response; they are not acting or pretending."
The initial phases of the study involved researchers using ultrasound to monitor fetal facial expressions at 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, with additional observations made about three weeks after birth.
Professor Reisland explained: "Each time, we rated their facial expressions when exposed to the taste or smell of carrots or curly cabbage. What we see over time is that the children are still more receptive to the vegetables they were exposed to in the womb. From this, we can suggest that exposure to a particular taste in late pregnancy can lead to a long-term memory of the taste or smell in children, which may shape their food preferences years after birth."
In light of these findings, Professor Reisland recommended that pregnant mothers maintain a rich and varied diet that includes fruits and vegetables of different colors.
The researchers acknowledged that the study sample size was small, as it included the follow-up of 12 three-year-old children from the larger group of fetuses and newborns.
Cotton swabs moistened with carrot powder or curly cabbage were presented to the children, and they were photographed while smelling them (without tasting them). Their facial reactions were then monitored and compared with previous observations.
Dr. Birza Ostun-Ilayan, co-author from the University of Cambridge and Radboud University Medical Centre, highlighted the wider implications of these findings, saying: "These results open up new ways of thinking about early nutritional interventions, suggesting that the flavors of a mother's diet during pregnancy may quietly shape children's responses to food years later."
The study was published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology.
