Being a picky eater is not necessarily ‘just a phase’, according to the scientists that carried out the research
Fussy eating is all in the genes, a new study suggests. If you had a youngster who turned their nose up at the Christmas dinner table it may be down to a genetic trait, say scientists.
Fussy eating is mainly influenced by genes and is a “stable trait” lasting from toddlerhood to early adolescence, according to the findings. The research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and funded by the UK health charity MQ Mental Health Research, was led by scientists from University College London (UCL), King’s College London and the University of Leeds.
The research team compared survey results of parents with identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales from the ages of 16 months to 13 years old. They found that average levels of food fussiness were relatively stable during that period, peaking somewhat around the age of seven and declining slightly after that.
The team concluded that genetic differences in the population accounted for 60% of the variation in food fussiness at 16 months, rising to 74% and over between the ages of three and 13.
Environmental factors shared between twins – such as the types of foods that are eaten at home – were found to be significant only in toddlerhood, while environmental factors unique to each twin – such as individual personal experiences – became more influential in later years.
Food fussiness describes the tendency to eat a small range of foods, due to selectivity about textures or tastes, or reluctance to try new foods. Lead author Dr Zeynep Nas, of UCL, said: “Food fussiness is common among children and can be a major source of anxiety for parents and caregivers, who often blame themselves for this behaviour or are blamed by others.
“We hope our finding that fussy eating is largely innate may help to alleviate parental blame. This behaviour is not a result of parenting. Our study also shows that fussy eating is not necessarily just a ‘phase’, but may follow a persistent trajectory.”
Senior author Professor Clare Llewellyn, also of UCL, added: “While genetic factors are the predominant influence for food fussiness, environment also plays a supporting role. Shared environmental factors, such as sitting down together as a family to eat meals, may only be significant in toddlerhood.
“This suggests that interventions to help children eat a wider range of foods, such as repeatedly exposing children to the same foods regularly and offering a variety of fruits and vegetables, may be most effective in the very early years.”
The research team analysed data from the UCL-led Gemini study, the largest twin group ever set up to research genetic and environmental contributions to early growth, which involves 2,400 sets of twins. Mums and dads filled in questionnaires about their children’s eating behaviours when the children were 16 months, three, five, seven, and thirteen years old.
To disentangle genetic from environmental influences, the research team compared the similarity in fussy eating between non-identical twin pairs, who share 50% of their genes, with the similarity between identical twin pairs, who share 100% of their genes. They found that non-identical twin pairs were much less similar in their fussy eating than identical twin pairs, indicating a large genetic influence.
The team also found that identical twin pairs became more different to each other in their fussy eating as they got older, indicating an increase in the role of unique environmental factors at older ages. The research team estimated that unique environmental factors accounted for about 25% of individual differences between children in fussy eating by ages seven and 13.
Shared environmental factors, meanwhile, accounted for a quarter of individual differences between children in food fussiness at 16 months, with a negligible effect in later years. Study senior author Dr Alison Fildes, of the University of Leeds, said: “Although fussy eating has a strong genetic component and can extend beyond early childhood, this doesn’t mean it is fixed.
“Parents can continue to support their children to eat a wide variety of foods throughout childhood and into adolescence, but peers and friends might become a more important influence on children’s diets as they reach their teens.”
