Abstract
BackgroundGenetically mediated sensitivity to bitter taste has been associated with food preferences and eating behavior in adults and children. The aim of this study was to assess the association between TAS2R38 bitter taste genotype and the first complementary food acceptance in infants.Parents of healthy, breastfed, term-born infants were instructed, at discharge from the nursery, to feed their baby with a first complementary meal of 150 mL at 4 to 6 months of age. They recorded the day when the child ate the whole meal in a questionnaire. Additional data included food composition, breastfeeding duration, feeding practices, and growth at 6 months. Infants’ TAS2R38 genotypes were determined at birth, and infants were classified as “bitter-insensitive” (genotype AVI/AVI) and “bitter-sensitive” (genotypes AVI/PAV or PAV/PAV).ResultsOne hundred seventy-six infants and their mothers were enrolled; completed data were available for 131/176 (74.4%) infants (gestational age 39.3 ± 1.1 weeks, birth weight 3390 ± 430 g). Bitter-insensitive were 45/131 (34.3%), and bitter-sensitive were 86/131 (65.6%). Thirty-one percent of bitter-insensitive infants consumed the whole complementary meal at first attempt, versus 13% of bitter-sensitive ones (p = 0.006). This difference was significant independently of confounding variables such as sex, breastfeeding, or foods used in the meal. Growth at 6 months did not differ between the two groups.ConclusionsDifferences in TAS2R38 bitter taste gene were associated with acceptance of the first complementary food in infants, suggesting a possible involvement in eating behavior at weaning.
Highlights
Mediated sensitivity to bitter taste has been associated with food preferences and eating behavior in adults and children
To assess the independent association between the proportion of infants who consumed all 150 mL of food on the first day and bitter taste genotype, a backward stepwise logistic regression analysis was conducted; the following variables were included: ongoing breastfeeding, gestational age at birth, infants feeding practices scores, sex, days of life at first complementary food introduction, complementary foods used in the meal, and primipara/multipara mother
This study indicates that infants insensitive to bitter taste were more likely to consume the whole first complementary food meal at first attempt, compared to sensitive ones
Summary
Mediated sensitivity to bitter taste has been associated with food preferences and eating behavior in adults and children. The aim of this study was to assess the association between TAS2R38 bitter taste genotype and the first complementary food acceptance in infants. Parents of healthy, breastfed, term-born infants were instructed, at discharge from the nursery, to feed their baby with a first complementary meal of 150 mL at 4 to 6 months of age. They recorded the day when the child ate the whole meal in a questionnaire. Taste is one of the most important factors in determining food preference in both children and adults. Individuals who perceive these compounds moderately or intensely bitter (about 75%) are considered “medium tasters” or “super tasters” while those who perceive these compounds as weak or tasteless are considered “non-tasters” (about 25%) [13]
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