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Development of food preferences.

L L Birch1

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USA. llb15@psu.edu

Annual Review of Nutrition
|August 17, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Genetic predispositions and the eating environment shape food preferences. Unhealthy food environments can override natural preferences, contributing to obesity.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Nutritional science
  • Behavioral genetics

Background:

  • Food preferences develop through interactions between innate genetic predispositions and environmental factors.
  • Innate predispositions include taste reactions (sweet/salty preference, sour/bitter rejection), neophobia, and associative learning.
  • The eating environment, encompassing food availability and feeding practices, significantly influences the manifestation of these predispositions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review how genetic predispositions interact with the eating environment to shape phenotypic food preferences.
  • To examine the role of innate taste responses, neophobia, and learning in food preference development.
  • To analyze how the modern food environment impacts the development of healthy dietary patterns.

Main Methods:

  • This study is a review of existing literature.
  • It employs a developmental systems perspective to analyze gene-environment interactions.
  • The review synthesizes findings on innate biological responses and learned behaviors related to food.

Main Results:

  • Genetic predispositions for basic taste preferences and learning exist.
  • The eating environment critically determines whether these predispositions lead to healthy or unhealthy food preferences.
  • Current food environments, particularly in the U.S., promote preferences for energy-dense, palatable foods.

Conclusions:

  • Phenotypic food preferences result from a complex interplay between genetic factors and the eating environment.
  • Environmental influences, such as the availability of unhealthy foods, can lead to preferences that contradict dietary guidelines.
  • These environmentally influenced preferences contribute to public health issues like excess weight gain and obesity.

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