[A study of taste-sensitivity in pre-school children with special reference to its time-course according to their...

Sensitivity to drops of sweet, salty, sour and bitter tasting test liquids was evaluated in 47 kindergarteners (20 males, 27 females). The results revealed that ability for taste discrimination in pre-school children was related to growth and development processes, and was strongly affected by environmented factors mainly dietary lifestyle. Pre-school children showed no sex difference in sensitivity to these 4 kinds of tastes, but displayed gradually increasing sensitivity to sweet and salty tastes from age 3, 4 to 5 on, and gradually decreasing sensitivity to sour taste, while no age-related change was found with regard to bitter taste. Examination of its relationship to dietary habits revealed that taste discrimination became gradually sensitive and to a greater extent at age 3 to 5 for the group that was more careful with weaning and current diets and the group with some family member(s) practicing therapeutic diet treatment, compared with other groups.