WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Dec. 21, 2011 -- Offering a
baby a french fry, piece of bread, or even a handful of cereal
may set him up for a lifelong affinity for salty foods and the
health risks that go along with it. A new study shows that
babies fed starchy table foods, which often contain added salt,
before 6 months of age show a preference for salt that persists
through their preschool years. Infants who had been introduced
to starchy foods preferred a saltier drink and drank 55% more of
the saltier drink during a test at 6 months of age. By the time
they were preschoolers, the same children were also more likely
to lick the salt from foods and eat plain salt. Researchers say
the results suggest the ability to detect salty taste matures
sometime between 2-6 months of age. “There could be quite a bit
of difference in how that taste for salt matures, depending on
whether or not an infant is exposed to sodium during that
period,” says researcher Leslie Stein, PhD, senior research
associate at the Mon