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

Harriet Okronipa, Mary Arimond, Charles D Arnold, Rebecca R Young, Seth Adu-Afarwuah, Solace M Tamakloe, Maku E Ocansey, Sika M Kumordzie, Brietta M Oaks, Julie A Mennella, Kathryn G Dewey, Harriet Okronipa, Mary Arimond, Charles D Arnold, Rebecca R Young, Seth Adu-Afarwuah, Solace M Tamakloe, Maku E Ocansey, Sika M Kumordzie, Brietta M Oaks, Julie A Mennella, Kathryn G Dewey

Abstract

Background: The impact of feeding a slightly sweet nutrient supplement early in life on later sweet taste preference is unknown.

Objective: 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.

Design: 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).

Results: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Ghana; Monell forced-choice test; children; lipid-based nutrient supplement; sweet taste preference.

Copyright © American Society for Nutrition 2019.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Study profile. LNS group, women received 20 g LNS daily during pregnancy and 6 mo lactation. Infants received 20 g LNS daily from 6–18 mo of age; non-LNS group, women received either IFA during pregnancy and placebo for 6 mo postpartum or multiple micronutrient (MMN) capsules during pregnancy and 6 mo lactation. Infants did not receive any supplement. LNS, lipid-based nutrient supplement; IFA, iron and folic acid. *Details reported in (12).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Difference in sucrose concentration most preferred between the LNS and non-LNS groups (for children with reliable responses). Error bars indicate 95% CIs. The noninferiority margin is denoted by the dotted line. The 95% CIs lie to the left of the noninferiority margin (5% wt/vol), indicating noninferiority (that is, the concentration of sucrose most preferred by the LNS group was not higher than that preferred by the non-LNS group). LNS, lipid-based nutrient supplement; non-LNS, no exposure to LNS (control group).

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Source: PubMed

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