Exposure to a slightly sweet lipid-based nutrient supplement during early life does not increase the level of sweet taste most preferred among 4- to 6-year-old Ghanaian children: follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition 2019-04, Vol.109 (4), p.1224-1232
• Main Authors: Okronipa, Harriet, Arimond, Mary, Arnold, Charles D, Young, Rebecca R, Adu-Afarwuah, Seth, Tamakloe, Solace M, Ocansey, Maku E, Kumordzie, Sika M, Oaks, Brietta M, Mennella, Julie A, Dewey, Kathryn G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Exposure; Female; Folic acid; Follow-Up Studies; Food Preferences; Ghana; Humans; Infant; Infant Food - analysis; Infants; Iron; Lipid Metabolism; lipid-based nutrient supplement; Lipids; Male; Micronutrients; Monell forced-choice test; Nutrients; Nutrients - metabolism; Original Research Communications; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Sucrose; Sucrose - metabolism; Sugar; Supplements; Sweet taste; sweet taste preference; Taste
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy352

The impact of feeding a slightly sweet nutrient supplement early in life on later sweet taste preference is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that the level of sucrose most preferred by 4–6-y-old children exposed to a slightly sweet lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) early in life would not be higher than that of children never exposed to LNS. We followed up children born to women (n = 1,320) who participated in a randomized trial in Ghana. In one group, LNS was provided to women on a daily basis during pregnancy and the first 6 mo postpartum and to their infants from age 6 to 18 mo (LNS group). The control groups received daily iron and folic acid or multiple micronutrients during pregnancy and the first 6 mo postpartum, with no infant supplementation (non-LNS group). At age 4–6 y, we randomly selected a subsample of children (n = 775) to assess the concentration of sucrose most preferred using the Monell 2-series, forced-choice, paired-comparison tracking procedure. We compared LNS with non-LNS group differences using a noninferiority margin of 5% weight/volume (wt/vol). Of the 624 children tested, most (61%) provided reliable responses. Among all children, the mean ± SD sucrose solution most preferred (% wt/vol) was 14.6 ± 8.6 (LNS group 14.9 ± 8.7; non-LNS group 14.2 ± 8.4). However, among children with reliable responses, it was 17.0 ± 10.2 (LNS group 17.5 ± 10.4; non-LNS group 16.5 ± 10.0). The upper level of the 95% CI of the difference between groups did not exceed the noninferiority margin in either the full sample or those with reliable responses, indicating that the LNS group did not have a higher sweet preference than the non-LNS group. Exposure to a slightly sweet nutrient supplement early in life did not increase the level of sweet taste most preferred during childhood. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866.