title: PROP taster status, food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages among 6-year-old ethnically diverse children.
abstract: A healthy diet is important for optimal growth and development in children. Food preferences are a main determinant of children's intake. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) taster status (taste sensitivity to PROP) with children's food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages among ethnically diverse children. We analysed data from 5585 6-year-old children enrolled in the Generation R Study, a birth cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. PROP taster status was evaluated using a suprathreshold screening solution. Food preferences of the children were assessed by a two-stage protocol using photographs of eight food items (candy, chocolate, mayonnaise, whipped cream, soup, potato chips, carrot and bread), yielding both hedonic ratings (1-3) and rank order scores (1-8). Univariate and multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were performed, using tasters as the reference group. Non-tasters had a slightly higher preference for carrots (β: -0.07; 95% CI: -0.13, -0.02 and β: -0.15; 95% CI: -0.27, -0.02 for hedonic ratings and rank order scores, respectively) and bread (hedonic ratings; β: -0.06; 95% CI: -0.11, -0.01) compared with tasters. No differences were found in children's preference for sweet, fat or salty food items. Furthermore, there were no associations of PROP taster status with the consumption of high-calorie snacks ≥ 2 times/day (aOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.91,1.24) or sweet beverages ≥ 3 glasses/day (aOR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.92,1.23). Other factors relating to the family food environment may be more important for young children's food preferences and consumption of high-calorie snacks and sweet beverages than their innate taste sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anne I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Wijtzes
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Social Development, City of Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Selma H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Bouthoorn
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jessica C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kiefte-de Jong
authors.affiliation: Department of Child, and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pauline W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Paediatrics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.|Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands; D064427:Nutritive Sweeteners / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D062410:Snacks; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D064427:Nutritive Sweeteners; D011441:Propylthiouracil
keywords: 6-n-propylthiouracil; PROP; birth cohort study; food preference; snack; sweet beverages