Sweet Baby
A child's desire for sweets could directly impact growth
Does your kid have a sweet tooth? Well, it may be natural. According to new research from the University of Washington and the Monell Center, a child's love for sweets is actually biological and related to their growth rate. The study also found that a preference for sweets declines during adolescence.
"The relationship between sweet preference and growth makes intuitive sense because when growth is rapid, caloric demands increase. Children are programmed to like sweet taste because it fills a biological need by pushing them towards energy sources," says Danielle Reed, Ph.D, a Monell geneticist and one of the study authors.
The study evaluated sweet preference and biological measures of growth and physical maturation in 143 children between the ages of 11 and 15. Children were classified into high and low preference groups, and children in the low preference group also had lower levels of a biomarker associated with bone growth in children and adolescents. Other biological factors associated with adolescence, such as sex-hormone levels, were not associated with sweet preference.
 |
