The fetus remembers: How babies can identify flavour from their mother’s pregnancy diet | Health

Parents all over the world struggle with picky eating habits of their children. From getting them to eat the healthy food to ensuring that they get the daily nutrition from their intake, it can be challenging, especially when the children refuse to consume the food given to them. However, according to a study led by Nadja Reissland and Beyza Ustun-Elayan, Durham University, picky eating patterns may start long before the children are born. Also read | Pregnancy diet: Spinach to avocado; top 5 superfoods for expecting mothers

The study observed that when the babies are exposed to certain flavours and smell when they are in the womb, they tend to design their eating habits around that. This can help us understanding eating patterns and incorporating healthy eating habits in children in the earliest stages of their lives.

Findings of the study:

The study was conducted by studying the 4D ultrasound scans to see how fetuses react to different flavours and smell. Co-lead author Beyza Ustun-Elayan, Ph.D., from Durham University, in a statement said, “Our research showed that fetuses can not only sense and distinguish different flavors in the womb but also start learning and establish memory for certain flavors if exposed to them repeatedly. This shows that the process of developing food preferences begins much earlier than we thought, right from the womb.” Also read | Nutrition guide: Foods new mothers should add to diet, pregnant women must avoid during pregnancy

The study explained how it works. During pregnancy, the flavour and smell from the mother’s diet make their way into the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby. While humans judge flavour through a combination of taste and smell, for fetuses, it’s about inhaling the swallowing the amniotic fluid. By the last trimester of pregnancy, the fetuses develop sophisticated sensory systems to detect the flavour molecules, and hence react differently to each flavour and smell.

Co-lead author Nadja Reissland of Durham University’s Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab added, “Our analysis of the babies’ facial expressions suggests that they appear to react more favorably towards the smell of foods their mothers ate during the last months of pregnancy. Potentially this means we could encourage babies to react more positively towards green vegetables, for example, by exposing them to these foods during pregnancy.” Also read | New mom Akshara Gowda reveals pregnancy diet, hack to avoid stretch marks and ‘biggest myth’ that needs to be debunked

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.