Sensitive Periods in Human Flavor Learning

NCT01667549 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: HD37119
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 97
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goals of the proposed research are to specify the timing and consequences of the sensitive period for flavor learning in infants who are being breastfed or formula fed. The investigators will conduct a randomized within- and between-subject study of women and their infants during a 15-month window.

Conditions

Development

Keywords

Breastfeeding; Flavor learning; Mother; Moms; Infants; Babies; Baby; Food Habits; Fruits; Vegetables

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Vegetable Flavor Acceptance [Infants' Intake]

  Taste testing conducted on infants to determine acceptance of plain cereal, carrot-flavor cereal (exposed flavor for intervention groups) and broccoli-flavored cereal (novel flavor for all groups) after weaning, which occurred at \~ 8 months of age. Outcomes included intake (in grams).

  6- to 10-month-old weaned infants (3 separate test days )

• Taste Liking Ratings of Vegetable Flavors [Mothers].

  Psychophysical testing conducted on mothers to rate their taste of carrot, beet, celery, mixed vegetable (exposed flavors for intervention groups) and apple juices using the hedonic gLMS (hedonic general labelled magnitude scale). Ratings on the scale range from -100 (strongest imaginable dislike) to 0 (neutral) to 100 (strongest imaginable like).

  Monthly, 0.5 to 4.5 months

• Vegetable Flavor Acceptance (Infants' Rate of Feeding)

  Taste testing conducted on infants to determine acceptance of plain cereal, carrot-flavor cereal (exposed flavor for intervention groups) and broccoli-flavored cereal (novel flavor for all groups) after weaning, which occurred at \~ 8 months of age. Outcomes included intake rate of feeding (grams per minute) .

  6- to 10-month-old weaned infants (3 separate test days)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Maternal Perceptions

  6- to 10-month-old weaned infants (3 separate test days)

• Growth of Infants

  Once a month from ages 0.5 - 4.5 months, 10.5 months

Study Arms (4)

1M0.5

EXPERIMENTAL

Mothers will receive the intervention for 1 month beginning when their infant is 0.5 months old. Intervention: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

Other: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

1M1.5

EXPERIMENTAL

Mothers will receive the intervention for 1 month beginning when their infant is 1.5 months old. Intervention: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

Other: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

3M0.5

EXPERIMENTAL

Mothers will receive the intervention for 3 months beginning when their infant is 0.5 months old. Intervention: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

Other: Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Mothers will not receive the intervention.

Interventions

Timing of Diet and Flavor Experience OTHER

Groups differ in the timing and duration of exposure to flavored food experience.

1M0.5; 1M1.5; 3M0.5

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 2 Weeks - 3 Weeks
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy, term infants and their mothers
• Infants 2 wks (+/- 2 wk of age)
• Mothers and infants exclusively breastfeeding or exclusively feeding a cows-milk based formula
• Mothers must be older than 18 years of age

You may not qualify if:

• Infants who were preterm or have medical conditions that interfere with feeding or eating
• Mothers who had gestational diabetes or are diagnosed with a major illness requiring treatment or surgery
• Mothers who will be going back to work full-time before the infant is 4 months old
• Mothers who are allergic to any vegetables
• Subjects will not be excluded because of economic status, gender, race or ethnicity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Monell Chemical Senses Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

Monell Chemical Senses Center

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

Related Publications (11)

• Mennella JA, Jagnow CP, Beauchamp GK. Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics. 2001 Jun;107(6):E88. doi: 10.1542/peds.107.6.e88.

  PMID: 11389286 BACKGROUND

• Skinner JD, Carruth BR, Wendy B, Ziegler PJ. Children's food preferences: a longitudinal analysis. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002 Nov;102(11):1638-47. doi: 10.1016/s0002-8223(02)90349-4.

  PMID: 12449287 BACKGROUND

• Mennella JA, Lukasewycz LD, Castor SM, Beauchamp GK. The timing and duration of a sensitive period in human flavor learning: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):1019-24. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.003541. Epub 2011 Feb 10.

  PMID: 21310829 BACKGROUND

• Mennella JA, Pepino MY, Reed DR. Genetic and environmental determinants of bitter perception and sweet preferences. Pediatrics. 2005 Feb;115(2):e216-22. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-1582.

  PMID: 15687429 BACKGROUND

• Forestell CA, Mennella JA. Early determinants of fruit and vegetable acceptance. Pediatrics. 2007 Dec;120(6):1247-54. doi: 10.1542/peds.2007-0858.

  PMID: 18055673 BACKGROUND

• Llewellyn CH, van Jaarsveld CH, Johnson L, Carnell S, Wardle J. Development and factor structure of the Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire in the Gemini birth cohort. Appetite. 2011 Oct;57(2):388-96. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.05.324. Epub 2011 Jun 6.

  PMID: 21672566 BACKGROUND

• Pliner P, Hobden K. Development of a scale to measure the trait of food neophobia in humans. Appetite. 1992 Oct;19(2):105-20. doi: 10.1016/0195-6663(92)90014-w.

  PMID: 1489209 BACKGROUND

• Gerrish CJ, Mennella JA. Flavor variety enhances food acceptance in formula-fed infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Jun;73(6):1080-5. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/73.6.1080.

  PMID: 11382663 BACKGROUND

• Mennella JA, Nicklaus S, Jagolino AL, Yourshaw LM. Variety is the spice of life: strategies for promoting fruit and vegetable acceptance during infancy. Physiol Behav. 2008 Apr 22;94(1):29-38. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.11.014. Epub 2007 Nov 21.

  PMID: 18222499 BACKGROUND

• Mennella JA, Reiter A, Brewer B, Pohlig RT, Stallings VA, Trabulsi JC. Early Weight Gain Forecasts Accelerated Eruption of Deciduous Teeth and Later Overweight Status during the First Year. J Pediatr. 2020 Oct;225:174-181.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.06.019. Epub 2020 Jun 15.

  PMID: 32553836 DERIVED

• Mennella JA, Daniels LM, Reiter AR. Learning to like vegetables during breastfeeding: a randomized clinical trial of lactating mothers and infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jul;106(1):67-76. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.143982. Epub 2017 May 17.

  PMID: 28515063 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Breast Feeding; Feeding Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Behavior, Animal

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Julia A. Mennella, PhD; Study Principal Investigator
• Organization: Monell Chemical Senses Center

mennella@monell.org

267-519-4880

Study Officials

• Julie A Mennella, PhD

  Monell Chemical Senses Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Member and Director Emeritus

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 13, 2012
• First Posted: August 17, 2012
• Study Start: August 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2015
• Study Completion: November 30, 2015
• Last Updated: December 9, 2019
• Results First Posted: December 9, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)