Salty taste acceptance by infants and young children is related to birth weight: longitudinal analysis of infants within the normal birth weight range

Abstract

Background: Birth weight and sodium intake are both associated with risk for hypertension. It is not known whether birth weight influences response to salty taste. Objective: To assess the relationship between birth weight and salty taste acceptance of infants and young children. Design: Acceptance of salty taste was assessed at 2 (n ¼ 80) and 6 (n ¼ 76) months in infants (birth weight 42.5 kg) enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Acceptance was expressed as proportional intake following 1-min ingestion tests with water and salt solutions (0.17 and 0.34 mol/l NaCl, in water). Birth weight was obtained by maternal report. Questionnaires completed by mothers and food-ranking procedures performed by children evaluated salt liking and preference in a subset (n ¼ 38) of subjects at preschool age (36 or 48 months). Setting: Nonprofit basic research institute in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Results: Regression analysis revealed significant negative associations between birth weight and acceptance of salty taste at 2 months (0.17 mol/l, Po0.0001; 0.34 mol/l, Po0.01) but not at 6 months. Relationships were not affected by adjustment for potential confounders. In preschoolers, greater liking of (Po0.05) and preference for (Po0.01) salty foods was associated with lower birth weight in simple, but not adjusted, models. Conclusion: Measures related to salty taste preference were inversely related to birth weight over the first 4 years of life. Additional studies should substantiate these findings and explore whether early response to salty taste predicts future sodium intake, blood pressure, or other public health-related outcomes.

The development of salty taste acceptance is related to dietary experience in human infants: a prospective study

“…Infants completed brief intake tests for water and 2 concentrations of sodium chloride (0.17 and 0.34 mol/L, dissolved in deionized water). These concentrations or similar have been used in previous studies from this laboratory (12,16); the lower concentration was originally selected to mimic the level of salt found in commercial soups, whereas the higher is a concentration reported by most adults to taste "strongly salty." Solutions were prepared by using reagent-grade sodium chloride and presented to infants in standard plastic baby bottles with disposable nipples.…”

“…Methods to determine acceptance of salty taste in infants were as previously described (12,16). Infants completed brief intake tests for water and 2 concentrations of sodium chloride (0.17 and 0.34 mol/L, dissolved in deionized water).…”

“…Although this preference likely is shaped by innate components, dietary experience also contributes significantly to the liking for salt. Most experiential studies have been conducted in adults (7,8), but a few suggest that early experiences, both in utero (9)(10)(11)(12) and during infancy (11,13), may shape the preference for salty taste.…”

Sugar and Salt in a Young Child’s Diet: Effect on Health

“…Выявлена обратная зависимость между пред-почтениями соленой пищи и массой тела при рождении. Среди дошкольников к использованию соленой пищи достоверно чаще склонны дети, родившиеся с более низкой массой тела [11]. Важным представляется ран-ний опыт использования соли: в дальнейшем такие дети склонны к более соленой пище [12].…”

Taste Preferences in Infants: What Defines Them?

“…Ощущение соленого вкуса развивается позже, возможно, в 2-6 мес [16]. Вкусовое восприятие соленого также зависит от предпочтений матери во время беременности [17], но оно более изменчиво, чем от слад-кого. Предпочтение соленого вкуса в возрасте 4 мес было выше у детей, матери которых во время беремен-ности страдали тяжелым токсикозом, а именно утренней рвотой, по сравнению с детьми, чьи матери не страдали токсикозом или имели легкие его проявления [18].…”