# Development of Retronasal Smell Perception in Young Children and Relation with BMI

> **NIH NIH F31** · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $48,974

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Flavor is perhaps the most important determinant of eating habits—we eat foods that taste good and avoid foods
that taste bad. Because eating habits are directly linked to nutrition and health, altering flavor perception is a
prime target for interventions aimed at steering people toward heathier food choice. Flavor includes well-understood gustatory qualities (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, umami). However, a substantial portion of flavor
constitutes olfactory (smell) qualities (try taking a sip of wine or eating a jellybean candy while pinching your
nose). The gustatory and olfactory sensory systems that contribute to flavor each have unique characteristics.
Hedonic perception of gustatory signals is innate and relatively stable (e.g., from birth into adulthood, sweet is
liked, bitter disliked). In contrast, olfactory processing tends to be highly plastic, suggesting a strong opportunity
to alter flavor perception through interventions. This proposal will gain basic understanding of the relationship
between flavor-related odor perception and eating habits. I focus on children 4-6 years of age, because this
constitutes a developmental period during which eating habits are formed for life, making it a particularly
promising target for interventions. In Specific Aim 1, I will characterize the contribution of olfaction to multiple
aspects of flavor perception in children and adults using a novel adaptation of a simple, non-verbal rating
procedure, as well as analysis of video recordings of facial expressions. Preliminary data suggest that perception
of olfactory flavor components (but not gustatory flavor components) undergoes substantial developmental
changes. I will determine the extent to which differences in smell perception between children and adults can be
explained by exposure to specific foods, as measured by a modified food frequency questionnaire and a non-verbal identification task. In Specific Aim 2, I will determine how individual differences in flavor perception among
children relate to weight status. In order to development effective nutritional interventions, we must consider the
relationship between weight status and flavor perception. Although this relationship has not been examined
among young children, there is substantial evidence that overweight/obesity is associated with impairments in
flavor sensitivity among adults. By conducting a regression analyses between BMI-for-age and perceptual
measures for taste and smell, I will be able to determine whether this relationship emerges as early as ages 4-6. The results will provide novel mechanistic insight into how sensory processing interacts with flavor exposure
and weight status during early childhood.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11070516
- **Project number:** 1F31DC022149-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Elizabeth Colbert
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,974
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-02 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11070516

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11070516, Development of Retronasal Smell Perception in Young Children and Relation with BMI (1F31DC022149-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-13 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11070516. Licensed CC0.

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