Early Taste Experiences and Later Food Choices.
BACKGROUND
Nutrition in early life is increasingly considered to be an important factor influencing later health. Food preferences are formed in infancy, are tracked into childhood and beyond, and complementary feeding practices are crucial to prevent obesity later in life.


METHODS
Through a literature search strategy, we have investigated the role of breastfeeding, of complementary feeding, and the parental and sociocultural factors which contribute to set food preferences early in life.


RESULTS
Children are predisposed to prefer high-energy, -sugar, and -salt foods, and in pre-school age to reject new foods (food neophobia). While genetically determined individual differences exist, repeated offering of foods can modify innate preferences.


CONCLUSIONS
Starting in the prenatal period, a varied exposure through amniotic fluid and repeated experiences with novel flavors during breastfeeding and complementary feeding increase children's willingness to try new foods within a positive social environment.
Valentina De Cosmi Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Branch of Medical Statistics, Biometry, and Epidemiology "G. A. Maccacaro", Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy. valentina.decosmi@gmail.com.
Valentina
V
De Cosmi
Silvia Scaglioni Fondazione De Marchi Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy. silviascaglioni50@gmail.com.
Silvia
S
Scaglioni
Carlo Agostoni Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy. carlo.agostoni@unimi.it.
Carlo
C
Agostoni
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000502:physiology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012931:Social Environment; D013649:Taste; D055697:Taste Perception; D055815:Young Adult
breastfeeding; children obesity; complementary feeding; early taste; feeding strategy; food choices; food preferences