PHILADELPHIA—Children’s response to intense sweet taste is related to both a family history of alcoholism and the child’s own self-reports of depression, according to new research from the Monell Center.
Researchers examined the sweet preferences of children with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. They also studied the influence of depression, hypothesizing that children with depressive symptoms might have a greater affinity for sweets because sweets make them feel better.
In the study, published online in Addiction, 300 children between ages 5 and 12 tasted five levels of sucrose in water to determine their most-preferred level of sweetness. The children also were asked questions to assess the presence of depressive symptoms, while their mothers reported information on family alcohol use. Nearly half of the children had a family history of alcoholism; approximately one-quarter were classified as exhibiting depressive symptoms.
Liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children having both a positive family history of alcoholism and also reporting depressive symptoms. The most-liked level of sweetness for these children was 24-percent sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola. This was one-third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children, which was 18 percent sucrose.