Taste preference, food neophobia and nutritional intake in children consuming a cows’ milk exclusion diet: a prospective study

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background</jats:title><jats:p>Taste exposure in infancy is known to predict food preferences later in childhood. This is particularly relevant in children with cows’ milk allergy who consume a substitute formula and/or a cows’ milk exclusion (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content>) diet early in life. This prospective study aimed to show whether there is a long‐term effect of consuming a substitute formula and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> diet on taste preferences and dietary intake.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Children were predominantly recruited from two large birth cohort studies in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">UK</jats:styled-content>. Two groups were recruited: an experimental group of children who had consumed a <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> diet during infancy and a control group who had consumed an unrestricted diet during infancy. Parents completed a food neophobia questionnaire and an estimated prospective food diary. Children completed a taste preference test and their growth was assessed.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>One hundred and one children with a mean age of 11.5 years were recruited (28 <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> and 73 controls). Children in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> group had a significantly higher preference for bitter taste than those in the control group (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05). There were significant differences between the groups with respect to the intake of some micronutrients, including riboflavin, iodine, sodium and selenium. Food neophobia did not differ between groups. Some 28% of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> group were overweight/obese compared to 15% of the control group; however, this difference was not statistically significant.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>Consuming a substitute formula and/or <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">a CME</jats:styled-content> diet in infancy has a long‐term effect on the preference for bitter taste. Differences exist with respect to the intake of some micronutrients, but not macronutrients. There was a nonsignificant trend towards being overweight and obese in children in the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CME</jats:styled-content> group.</jats:p></jats:sec>