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  • Original Article
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The proof is in the pudding: children prefer lower fat but higher sugar than do mothers

Abstract

Objective:

Although there are established age-related differences in sweet preferences, it remains unknown whether children differ from mothers in their preference for and perception of fat (creaminess). We examined whether individual differences in sucrose and fat preferences and perception are related to age, genotype and lifestyle.

Subjects:

Children 5–10 years-old (n=84) and their mothers (n=67) chose the concentration of sucrose and fat most preferred in pudding and sucrose most preferred in water using identical, two-alternative, forced-choice procedures, and ranked pudding samples for intensity of sweetness and creaminess. Subjects were also weighed and measured for height, as well as genotyped for a sweet-receptor gene (TAS1R3).

Results:

Children preferred higher concentrations of sucrose in water (P=0.03) and in pudding (P=0.05) and lower concentrations of fat in pudding (P<0.01) than did mothers. Children and mothers were equally able to rank the intensity of different concentrations of fat (P=0.12) but not sucrose in pudding (P=0.01). Obese and lean children and mothers did not differ in preferences, but obese mothers were less able to correctly rank the concentration of fat in pudding than were lean mothers (P=0.03). Mothers who smoked preferred a higher concentration of sucrose than did those who never smoked (P<0.01). Individual differences in sweet preference were associated with genetic variation within the TAS1R3 gene in mothers but not children (P=0.04).

Conclusion:

Irrespective of genotype, children prefer higher concentrations of sugar but lower concentrations of fat in puddings than do their mothers. Thus, reduced-fat foods may be better accepted by children than adults.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, by award R01HD37119 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and an ARRA supplement to this grant (3R01HD037119-10S1) and by awards R01DC011287 and P30DC011735 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health. The Pennsylvania Department of Health specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions. We acknowledge the valuable technical assistance of Aleida Silva-Garcia, Fiona Crowley, Kristi Roberts and Dr Stacie Miller, whose positions were created by supplement 3R01HD037119-10S1 received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The technical help of Fujiko Duke, Alexis Burdick Will, Rebecca James, Anna Lysenko and Liang-Dar (Daniel) Hwang with the DNA purification, extraction and genotyping and Ryan Crawford for subject testing is gratefully acknowledged. Joseph H Lee provided statistical advice and Ms Patricia Watson provided expert editorial assistance. We acknowledge the valuable comments provided by Dr Gary K Beauchamp on an earlier version of the manuscript.

Author contributions

JAM designed the experiment, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. SF collected the data and assisted in manuscript preparation. DRR assayed genotypes and assisted in data analysis and assisted in writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to D R Reed.

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Mennella, J., Finkbeiner, S. & Reed, D. The proof is in the pudding: children prefer lower fat but higher sugar than do mothers. Int J Obes 36, 1285–1291 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2012.51

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