What the mother eats, the baby knows the taste

The taste in the diet of a nursing mother will find her way into the milk in just a few minutes, the scientists said.

A group of 18 lactating women were asked to provide breastmilk samples before and after eating different flavored capsules.

As a result, banana odor is detected within 1 hour after maternal ingestion, while peppermint essential oil lasts up to 8 hours.

(Photo: BBC)

Many moms are often concerned that their babies may quit if they eat foods with strong flavors. But researchers from the University of Copenhagen think that, in most cases, breast milk taste changes only for a few hours at most.

For example, in addition to banana and peppermint, licorice-flavored capsules concentrate only in breastmilk for an average of 2 hours after the mother's ingestion.

Also, according to the research team, the time it takes for the flavors to enter and disappear from breast milk also varies by woman. In general, all tastes disappear in about 8 hours.

Dr Helene Hausner, head of the survey team, said preliminary results show that the variety of flavors in breast milk can make babies more adaptable to newer flavors.