How maternal flavor education may prevent childhood obesity?

Abstract

Childhood obesity has been associated with a number of perinatal factors, in particular a specific maternal phenotype characterized by nutritional and metabolic imbalance that increases the supply of nutrients to the feto-placental unit and leads to excessive fetal growth and fat mass deposition. A varied and balanced maternal diet could, through prenatal flavor education, play a role in preventing obesity in later life. Factors predisposing individuals to make dietary choices that may be antithetical to health, are: 1) innate flavor preferences, driven by evolution, and 2) harmful consequences of not being exposed to the flavors of healthy foods at the beginning of life. We focus on scientific evidence that suggests how early experience of flavors can influence the future food choices of infants.