Salty taste: Assessing a strategy to reduce children's preference

 描述(申请人提供)：目前的食物环境充满了盐，所有年龄段的人都摄入了过量的盐；然而，生物驱动的对生长期间高盐的偏好使童年成为生命中特别脆弱的时期。成人高盐摄入量与高血压之间的联系，从儿童到成年血压的显著跟踪模式，以及近年来儿童人群中高血压患病率的增加，强调了早期干预的重要性，以减少盐的偏好和摄入量，并为降低盐的摄入量奠定基础。 在一生中。因为喜好是决定儿童食物摄入量的一个极其重要的因素，所以一个成功的策略必须考虑到味道和偏好。广泛的证据表明，孩子们通过熟悉食物的味道，学会了如何根据具体情况来品尝食物。因此，这项拟议研究的主要目的是进行一项受试者内和受试者之间的试验，以检查在8周内反复接触低钠麦片的6至11岁儿童是否会学会相对于接触前的偏好更喜欢这种麦片，以及在同一时期反复接触高钠麦片的儿童是否会学习更喜欢这种麦片。谷类是目标年龄范围内儿童经常食用的食物，属于主要食物类别(谷物产品) 儿童食盐摄入量的贡献者。次要目标将是探索性的，但 将提供解释结果所需的控制：我们将考察(A)相对于研究前评估，在研究后评估中更喜欢低钠谷类食品的儿童是否显示出其他食物中最喜欢的盐和蔗糖水平的降低，(B)这种反应是由于对低钠谷类食品的口味更喜欢，还是对咸味的敏感度增加，以及(C)儿童之间的个体差异(如血压、身体尺寸和饮食盐摄入量)是否影响了儿童对盐的偏好的转变。因此，这项拟议的研究将考察与儿童盐偏好改变有关的因素，确定这种反应的特异性，并探索儿童个体差异与反复暴露在改变盐偏好方面的有效性之间的关系。结果将最终作为未来随机对照试验的基础，以确定减少儿童人群盐摄入量的策略的有效性。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The current food environment is replete with salt, and people of all ages are consuming excessive amounts; however, a biologically driven preference for high levels of salt during periods of growth makes childhood a particularly vulnerable time of life. The association between high salt intake and hypertension in adulthood, the significant tracking pattern of blood pressure from childhood into adulthood, and the increased prevalence of high blood pressure among pediatric populations in recent years underline the importance of early intervention to reduce salt preference and intake, and to set the stage for lower salt intake throughout life. Because liking is an extremely important factor in determining food intake among children, a successful strategy must account for taste and preference. Extensive evidence illustrates that children learn how a food should taste in a context-specific manner, developed by building familiarity with flavors. Therefore, the Primary Aim of the proposed research is to conduct a within- and between-subject trial to examine whether 6- to 11-year-old children who are repeatedly exposed to a low-sodium cereal over an 8-week period will learn to prefer that cereal relative to both pre- exposure preferences, and to children who are repeatedly exposed to a higher-sodium cereal over the same period. Cereal is a food regularly consumed by children in the targeted age range and is in the food group (grain products) that is the primary contributor to dietary salt intake of children. The Secondary Aim will be exploratory in nature but will provide controls necessary to interpret results: we will examine (a) whether children who prefer the low-sodium cereal in a post- relative to a pre-study assessment show a reduction in most preferred levels of salt and sucrose in other foods, (b) whether this response is due to increased liking for the taste of the low-sodium cereal or an increase in salty taste sensitivity, and (c) whether individual differences among children (e.g., blood pressure, body size, and dietary salt intake) affect the shift in salt preference. This proposed research will thus examine factors involved in shifting salt preference of children, identify the specificity of this response and explore relationships between individual differences among children and the efficacy of repeated exposure in shifting salt preference. Results will ultimately serve as a foundation for future randomized controlled trials to determine effectiveness of strategies to reduce salt intake among pediatric populations.