It is proven that there is a real connection between mothers and their future you drink while the fetus is in the womb, before birth. In fact, this relationship also extends for the taste and smell of the mother, the two senses that affect the baby.

Now, it has been proven by the facial expressions of a group of unborn babies, captured via 4D ultrasound, the first direct evidence that The fetus reacts to the taste of the food eaten by the mother.

Reaction to the taste of carrots and cabbage

A team led by the University of Durham (UK) performed ultrasound scans on more than 100 pregnant women to see how the fetus reacted to the taste of carrots or kale as soon as the mother ate it. fetus exposed carrot shows more “laughing face” responseswhile those exposed to kale showed more “crying face” responses, the university said in a statement.

The authors, who published their findings in Psychological Science, believe they can broaden our understanding of the development of human taste and olfactory receptors and show that what pregnant women eat can affect baby’s taste preferences After birth. Humans experience taste through a combination of taste and smell. In the fetus, it is estimated that this can happen by inhaling and swallowing amniotic fluid in the uterus.

Observing fetal facial reactions “we can assume that a series of chemical stimuli passes through the mother’s food into the fetal environment”, in the words of Benoist Schaal, of the University of Burgundy (France), one of the signatories. The team led by Beyza Ustun of Durham University noted that “It’s amazing to see the reaction of an unborn baby to the taste of kale or carrots when exploring and sharing moments with parents.

Carry out studies

The study group consisted of women ages 18 to 40, at 32 and 36 weeks of gestation, who received capsules containing about 400 milligrams of carrot or kale powder about 20 minutes before each scan. participant can’t eat or drink taste an hour before examination and also not eating anything with carrots or kale that day, to control for factors that may affect the reaction of the fetus.

The reactions observed in both taste groups, compared with fetuses in the control group who were not exposed to either taste, suggest that exposure to a small amount of carrot or kale flavors “is sufficient to stimulate the reaction,” the university said. This study could have “important implications for understanding early evidence of fetal viability” to understand and distinguish different flavors and the smell of food eaten by their mothers,” said study co-signator Nadja Reissland.

The researchers say their findings could also help with information provided to mothers. about the importance of taste and a healthy diet During pregnancy.