New research suggests that exposing unborn babies to the flavours of vegetables may make them more accepting of healthy foods later in life. The study, led by Professor Nadja Reissland of Durham University, indicates that children who were exposed to certain vegetables in the womb show more positive reactions to those foods years after birth.
Researchers gave pregnant women capsules containing either kale or carrot powder. They then observed the facial reactions of the babies before birth via ultrasound, at three weeks old, and again at age three. The results showed that children exposed to a particular vegetable were more likely to react positively to its smell, while grimacing at the other.
Professor Reissland said: 'What we see over time is that the children are still more favourable to vegetables they were exposed to while they were in the womb. This suggests that being exposed to a particular flavour in late pregnancy can result in long-lasting flavour or odour memory in children, potentially shaping their food preferences years after birth.'
The study, published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology, involved researchers from universities in the UK, France, and the Netherlands. Co-author Dr Beyza Ustun-Elayan of the University of Cambridge said: 'These findings open up new ways of thinking about early dietary interventions, suggesting that flavours from the maternal diet during pregnancy may quietly shape children’s responses to foods years later.'
Professor Reissland acknowledged the study's small sample size and called for larger studies. She suggested that giving vegetable powder capsules to pregnant women could be a low-cost way to promote healthier eating habits in the population, and the idea could be adapted to different cultural diets.
