The health and development of the fetus are strongly influenced by the type of food the mother eats. Furthermore, the taste and expression of the fetus can vary depending on the food the mother eats.
A fetus about to give birth can taste it ㅣ Source: Getty Image Bank
On 22 October (local time), a joint Franco-British research team comprising researchers from Durham University and Aston University in the UK published the International Journal of Psychological Science, 29-42 in late pregnancy. in weeks he announced that he can perceive the taste and smell of the food his mother eats and, as proof of this, he released a 4D stereoscopic ultrasound image that shows different expressions depending on the food the mother ate.
The researchers conducted the experiment on 100 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40 who lived in the north-eastern part of England between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. The researchers divided the pregnant women into three groups, one group ate bitter-tasting black cabbage capsules and the other sweet-tasting carrot capsules, while the other group ate no food. All pregnant women did not eat food for an hour before the experiment.
According to previous research, the fetus’s taste buds, which enable the sense of taste, begin to develop from the 9th week of pregnancy, and the fetus can taste it within 14 weeks. In the case of smell, the nasal cavity of the fetus is connected to the neurons related to smell from the 24th week of gestation and can smell. Therefore, considering the results of existing studies, the fetus in the second half of pregnancy should be able to detect the taste of food because both taste and smell are alive.
As a result of the study, there was a change in the expression of the fetus 20 minutes after the mother ate the food. The fetuses in the group that ate the sweet carrot had their mouths raised and smiled, while the fetuses in the group that ate the black cabbage showed drooping corners of their mouths or rubbed their lips to see if they did not like the bitter taste.
The researchers said, “We were able to confirm that the fetus’ expression changes depending on the type of food the mother ate.” “Notably, the fetuses in the cabbage group had richer facial expressions at 36 weeks of pregnancy compared to 32 weeks. There was no change in the facial expressions of the fetuses in the carrot-eating group.”
“This study is the first to show that fetuses can have a taste,” said lead researcher Beyza Ustun, who led the study. We have confirmed the possibility of a healthy control of preferences and eating habits “, she added.
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