Tag : Womb

Washington: Investigators performed 4D ultrasound scans on 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies reacted to flavours from the foods their mothers ate. The researchers scanned some mothers to see how their foetal faces responded to the kale and carrot flavours. A study led by Durham University's Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, UK, took 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies responded after being exposed to flavours from foods eaten by their mothers. Researchers looked at how the fetuses reacted to either carrot or kale flavours just a short time after the flavours had been ingested by the mothers. Fetuses exposed to carrot showed more "laughter-face" responses while those exposed to kale showed more "cry-face" responses. Their findings could further our understanding of the development of human taste and smell receptors. The researchers also believe that what pregnant women eat might influence babies' taste preferences after birth and potentially have implications for establishing healthy eating habits. The study is published in the journal Psychological Science. Humans experience flavour through a combination of taste and smell. In fetuses it is thought that this might happen through inhaling and swallowing the amniotic fluid in the womb. Lead researcher Beyza Ustun, a postgraduate researcher in the Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, Department of Psychology, Durham University, 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 flavours before birth could help to establish food preferenc ...