Babies 'react more favourably' to food mothers ate
Getty/Sarah MasonBabies "react more favourably" to the smell of food their mothers ate in late pregnancy, researchers suggest.
It follows a study, led by Durham University, which found new-born babies showed a positive response to the smell of foods they were exposed to in the womb.
Researchers studied the facial expressions of three-week-old babies whose mothers had regularly taken either kale or carrot powder while pregnant.
Prof Nadja Reissland, lead author, said: "Potentially this means we could encourage babies to react more positively towards green vegetables, for example, by exposing them to these foods during pregnancy."
The study involved 32 babies, mainly from the north-east of England, including Durham, Newcastle and Middlesbrough.
Researchers said infants who had been exposed to carrot capsules ingested by their mothers were noted to react favourably to the smell of carrot.
Similarly, those whose mothers had taken kale powder capsules while pregnant reacted positively to that vegetable's scent.
The research team found that, from the foetal to new-born period, there was an increased frequency in "laughter-face" responses and a decreased frequency in "cry-face" responses to the smell the babies had experienced before birth.
Prof Reissland said unborn babies had a very sensitive sense of smell.
Research co-lead author Dr Beyza Ustun-Elayan added the findings suggested the process of developing food preferences begins "right from the womb".
"By introducing these flavours early on, we might be able to shape healthier eating habits in children from the start," she said.
The research, published in the journal Appetite, also included scientists from Aston University and academics in France.