Childrens Sweet Tooth Linked to Physical Growth

PHILADELPHIA—New research from the University of Washington and the Monell Center indicates children’s heightened liking for sweet taste is related to their high growth rate and sweet preferences decline as children’s physical growth slows and eventually stops.

“The relationship between sweet preference and growth makes intuitive sense because when growth is rapid, caloric demands increase. Children are programmed to like sweet taste because it fills a biological need by pushing them towards energy sources,” said Monell geneticist Danielle Reed, PhD, one of the study authors.

The findings were reported in the journal Physiology & Behavior.