Development of salt taste in infancy.

Abstract

Twelve infants, aged 16–25 weeks and formerly breast-fed, were tested for their preference for the taste of salt in the first food fed to them. Preference was found to decline with infant age. Because preference for salted food is known to relate to dietary experience of salt in 6-month-old infants, this decline suggests that an initial salt preference is modified by exposure to a low- sodium diet, that is, breast milk. Infant feeding behaviors were found to be a reliable indicator of satiety, and they were also found to differ according to taste preference.