Babies Have Sense Of Taste In Womb, Smush Their Face At Kale

It’s incredible what they can do nowadays. Scientists said in a new study published last week that fetuses are big fans of carrots but not leafy green vegetables, and they show it on their tiny little faces. 

CBS writes, Researchers at Durham University in northeast England said the findings were the first direct evidence that babies react differently to various smells and tastes before they are born.

A team of scientists studied 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women and discovered that babies exposed to carrot flavors showed “laughter-face” responses. Those exposed to kale flavors, in contrast, showed more “cry-face” responses.

Lead postgraduate researcher Beyza Ustun said, “A number of studies have suggested that babies can taste and smell in the womb, but they are based on post-birth outcomes while our study is the first to see these reactions prior to birth.

“As a result, we think that this repeated exposure to flavors before birth could help to establish food preferences post-birth, which could be important when thinking about messaging around healthy eating and the potential for avoiding ‘food-fussiness’ when weaning.”

“TODAY” had a great segment on the topic.

These images from researchers show that babies in the womb can possibly react to flavor. pic.twitter.com/RVB7DsXNoc

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 22, 2022

All of us experience flavor in two ways: taste and smell. For babies in the womb, researchers now think that something similar happens when they inhale or swallow amniotic fluid.

New Atlas reported, “We know taste buds have developed in a fetus by around 14 weeks of gestation. There is also evidence showing certain flavor molecules from food can cross over into amniotic fluid. So some researchers have hypothesized taste preferences in young children could be influenced by exposure to certain foods during pregnancy.

“‘A number of studies have suggested that babies can taste and smell in the womb, but they are based on post-birth outcomes while our study is the first to see these reactions prior to birth,” explained lead researcher on the new study, Beyza Ustun. “As a result, we think that this repeated exposure to flavors before birth could help to establish food preferences post-birth, which could be important when thinking about messaging around healthy eating and the potential for avoiding ‘food-fussiness’ when weaning.’”

Looks like our little ones were picky from the start! 

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