Flavour Programming: Fruit and Vegetable Palatability

NCT03058523 | Completed

• 3 other identifiers: 2016/RINH/6 - Flavour16/LO/22382-045-16
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 59
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Infants have an inborn preference for sweet and umami flavours and dislike sour and bitter, but there is evidence that sensory experiences beginning early in development can modify these preferences in favour ultimately of healthier food choices. Babies are first exposed to flavour in utero and then later through breast/formula milk. This can be manipulated to influence liking and consumption of individual foods with specific high-intensity flavours postnatally. There are no prospective studies evaluating the impact of increasing maternal fruit and vegetable intake during late pregnancy on a child's subsequent acceptance of fruit and vegetables, particularly those with a sour/bitter taste. The hypothesis is that an intervention to increase maternal intake of fruit and vegetables in late pregnancy will enhance fetal flavour exposure and make infants more likely to accept a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in childhood. Before testing this hypothesis, the investigators need to evaluate the general acceptance and taste profile of the fruit and vegetable formats that we intend to offer to pregnant women.

Conditions

Child Development

Keywords

Flavour; Infants; Taste; Pregnancy; Programming; Fruit; Vegetables; Bitter profile; Food preferences

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Palatability of defined foods using a nine point scale

  The two taste sessions will be done between 1 and 10 days apart dependant on volunteer availability

  9 months

Study Arms (2)

Non-Pregnant

30 non-pregnant women of childbearing age

Pregnant

30 pregnant women

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Women of Child bearing age

You may qualify if:

• For the non-pregnant cohort: women of childbearing age with no major health issues and who currently struggle to meet the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
• For the pregnant cohort: women who are \>16 and \<32 weeks pregnant (with no major health issues) and who currently struggle to meet the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

You may not qualify if:

• Men and anyone who is unable to understand the participant information sheet and/or to speak, read or understand the English language (as the investigators do not have the resources to translate the materials)
• Women with known food allergies/intolerances or who are smokers, vegetarians or vegans
• Anyone using medication known to impact taste perception e.g. asthma inhalers
• Anyone with a hormone imbalance or metabolic disease that impacts their ability to taste
• Anyone with a history of an eating disorder
• Pregnant women with a history of recurring miscarriage or a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarium (severe nausea and vomiting), gestational diabetes or gestational hypertension or any other major pregnancy complication.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Aberdeen: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Aberdeen, The Rowett Institute

Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom

Location

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Tongue and cheek cells from buccal swabs

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Food Preferences

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Jacqueline Wallace, PhD, DSc

  University of Aberdeen, The Rowett Institute, United Kingdom, AB25 2ZD

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 10, 2017
• First Posted: February 23, 2017
• Study Start: March 21, 2017
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2018
• Study Completion: June 1, 2018
• Last Updated: October 16, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)