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

Abstract

Background: Sodium intake is related to hypertension and other diseases, but little is known about the early development of salty taste acceptance.

Objective: The prospective study asked whether dietary experience with foods containing sodium is associated with development of infant salty taste preference.

Design: Infants (n = 61) were tested at 2 and 6 mo to assess their response to 0.17 and 0.34 mol NaCl/L in water. Intake tests consisted of randomized double-blind 120-s exposure to salt solutions and water. Acceptance, calculated as solution intake relative to water, was examined as a function of exposure to starchy table food-a significant source of sodium. Dietary exposure (yes or no) was defined by maternal report. As a control, similar comparisons were based on exposure to fruit table food. A subset of 26 subjects returned at 36-48 mo for assessment of salty taste hedonics and preference.

Results: Dietary experience was related to salt acceptance, with only those infants previously exposed to starchy table foods (n = 26) preferring the salty solutions at 6 mo (P = 0.007). Fruit exposure was not associated with sodium chloride acceptance. Infants eating starchy table foods at 6 mo were more likely to lick salt from the surface of foods at preschool age (P = 0.007) and tended to be more likely to eat plain salt (P = 0.08).

Conclusions: The findings suggest an influential role of early dietary experience in shaping salty taste responses of infants and young children.

FIGURE 1.

Acceptance of salt solutions as a function of age and experience with starchy table foods at 6 m o. Age × experience interaction: F_[1,58] = 4.11, P < 0.047. Acceptance calculated as follows: solution intake/(solution + water intake); values >0.5 indicate preference, and values <0.5 indicate rejection.