Does your child display selective eating habits? New research suggests it might not be your fault.
A recent study, led by scientists from University College London, King’s College London, and the University of Leeds, discovered that food selectiveness in children is predominantly a genetic issue, with other factors like the variety of meals at home and where meals are consumed playing a minor role, especially when a child is a toddler.
The research involved over 2,000 sets of both identical and fraternal twins born in 2007 and based in the UK. Parents provided information about their children's eating habits, from the ages of 16 months to 13 years old.
Identical twins share all their genetic material, while fraternal twins do not. This allowed researchers to examine the impact of genetics and environment on food selectiveness across both groups.
The findings showed that fraternal twin pairs were less alike in terms of pickiness than identical twin pairs. This suggests that genetics play a significant role in determining a child's reluctance to try new foods.
The research revealed that food pickiness typically reaches its peak at the age of 7, often decreasing slightly during adolescence.
Moritz Herle, a researcher at King’s College London and one of the study's lead authors, stated, “Picky eating often causes a lot of stress for children and their families. Our research indicates that differences in children’s fussy eating can be largely attributed to genetic factors, which may help alleviate some blame directed at parents.”
Zeynep Nas, a researcher from UCL, the study's other lead author, added, “We hope our finding that fussy eating is largely innate may help alleviate parental blame. This behavior is not a result of parenting.”
Environmental factors can affect a child's food selectiveness during their toddler years, according to the study. This might imply that early interventions to help them expand their food preferences could potentially reduce their pickiness later on.
Abigail Pickard, a researcher in developmental child psychology at Aston University who wasn’t involved in the research, stated that picky eating is "quite common" in children. Her recent study found that about 16% of British children aged between 3 and 5 displayed picky eating behavior, with aspects such as age, parental feeding practices, and culture playing a role.
Pickard recommended that parents maintain a relaxed environment during meals and avoid turning food into a battle of wills. She also advised caregivers to model healthy eating habits and avoid using food as a reward for eating disliked foods, as this might foster a negative association.
The study was published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry on Thursday.
The study suggests that genetic factors significantly influence a child's food pickiness, as identical twins, who share all their genetic material, tend to be more alike in their food selectiveness compared to fraternal twins. Maintaining a relaxed environment during meals and modeling healthy eating habits can potentially help reduce pickiness in children, as environmental factors can impact a child's food selectiveness during their toddler years.
