The first is direct evidence that babies respond to taste and smell in the womb

The Fetal and Newborn Research Laboratory at Durham University in the United Kingdom led a study that performed 4D ultrasound scans of 100 pregnant women to see how their unborn babies reacted after touching the taste of food their mothers
ate.

The researchers looked at how the fetus reacted to these flavors for a short time after the mother ingested the taste of carrots
or kale.

Humans experience taste through a combination of taste and smell
.

Lead researcher Beyza Ustun, a graduate student at the Fetal and Newborn Research Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Durham University, said: "Many studies have shown that babies have a sense of taste and smell in the womb, but these studies are based on postnatal outcomes and our study is the first time to see these reactions before
birth.

"It's amazing to see unborn babies react to the taste of kale or carrots during the scan and share those moments with their parents
.

The research team also included scientists from the University of Aston in Birmingham, England, and the National Centre for Scientific Research at the University of Burgundy in France, who scanned mothers aged 18 to 40 at 32 and 36 weeks pregnant to observe the facial response
of the fetus to the taste of kale and carrots.

About 20 minutes before each scan, the researchers gave the mothers a capsule
containing about 400 milligrams of carrot powder or 400 milligrams of kale powder.

Co-author Professor Nadja Reissland, director of the Fetal and Newborn Research Laboratory in the Department of Psychology at Durham University, oversaw Beyza Ustun's research
.

Co-author of the study, Professor Benoist Schal of the National Centre for Scientific Research at the University of Burgundy in France, said: "By looking at the facial response of the fetus, we can assume that a series of chemical stimuli enter the fetal environment
through the mother's diet.

The researchers say their findings may also help provide mothers with information
about taste during pregnancy and the importance of eating a healthy diet.

It can be said that repeated exposure to tastes before giving birth may lead to a preference
for those tastes after childbirth.

Flavour Sensing in Utero and Emerging Discriminative Behaviours in the Human Fetus