No matter how much we know about our nature today, much more than what we have learned so far still remains a mystery. For example, the most fundamental point in the development of our senses of smell and taste is still unknown. Scientists in the UK have reached a great conclusion on this issue today.
The team led by Beyza Üstün from Durham University began to examine the baby in the womb of 100 pregnant women with a 4-dimensional ultrasound image. The aim was to see how the baby reacted to the taste and smell of the foods the mother was fed. The results revealed that we respond to smell and taste even when we are still a fetus in the womb.
Babies laughed when they tasted carrots, and sulked at kale:
- 4-dimensional ultrasound image of babies in the womb.
Within the scope of the study, scientists divided 70 mothers into two groups and fed these groups carrots or kale in capsules. 30 mothers were considered as the control group without consuming any special food. It was observed that the babies in the womb of the mothers made a more ‘joyful’ facial expression when the mother digested the carrot, while the babies had a more tearful facial expression when the kale was digested.
Babies’ reaction to the taste of the food their mothers ingested also showed that babies’ sense of smell was also developing in the womb. Because people feel the flavor of a food not only from the taste, but also from the combination of the taste and smell of that food.
Making a statement about her studies, Beyza Üstün shared that other studies have shown that babies can taste and smell in the womb. But the difference between their study and these studies is “Our study is the first to see these reactions before birth.” He told how. Üstün explained that the results can help determine postnatal food preferences in infants.
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