Science Sphere

🥕 A child’s taste for vegetables may begin before their first bite.

A small new study suggests that exposure to vegetable flavors in the womb may shape how children respond to those foods years later.

Researchers followed 12 children whose mothers had taken carrot or kale capsules during late pregnancy. At age three, the children were presented with the smells of carrot and kale, while researchers recorded their facial reactions.

Children exposed to carrot before birth showed fewer negative reactions to carrot odor. Those exposed to kale showed fewer negative reactions to kale odor, even though kale is usually a bitter smell children may dislike.

This does not prove that eating vegetables during pregnancy will make children love vegetables. The study was very small and tested smell reactions, not actual food choices.

But it suggests that early flavor memories may begin in the womb — and could gently influence food preferences later.

📃 RESEARCH PAPER
📌 Reissland et al., “Do Human Fetuses Form Long-Lasting Chemosensory Memories? Longitudinal Follow-Up From Fetus to Young Child of Facial Responses to Flavor/Odor Stimuli”, Developmental Psychobiology (2026)