Taste preferences, diet and overweight in European children: An epidemiological perspective

This thesis investigated taste preferences of children from eight European countries. It is based on data from the epidemiological IDEFICS study. The methodological part of the thesis revealed that the reproducibility of the IDEFICS taste preference and -sensitivity tests was high while the reproducibility of the IDEFICS food frequency questionnaire (CEHQ-FFQ) was comparable to that of previous FFQs. Etiological analyses showed that country affiliation was the strongest predictor of taste preferences followed by age. Between ages 6 and 9, sweet and salty preference increased while umami preference decreased. Other factors were not uniformly related to taste preferences. Taste preferences for fat and sweet were also associated with an increased probability of overweight. However, they were not associated with the consumption of sweet and fatty foods. Taste preferences for fat or sweet taste could also not explain the association between TV habits and detrimental dietary behavior.