Toddlers’ food fussiness is heavily influenced by genes

Toddlers' fussy eating habits are mainly the result of genetic influences rather than the result of poor parenting, according to new research led by scientists at UCL. The research, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry , investigated to what extent genes and environmental factors can explain why some children tend to refuse to try new foods or are very selective about what foods they eat. They found that both traits have a substantial genetic basis and are not only a reflection of parenting styles. The researchers analysed data from the Gemini study, the largest twin cohort in the world, focussing on early life eating behaviours of 1,921 families with 16 month old twins. Food fussiness - the tendency to be highly selective about the textures, taste and smell of foods a child is willing to eat - is frequently seen as a consequence of inadequate parenting. However, food neophobia - the refusal of many young children to try new food - is often seen as a normal development stage rather than a result of parents' behaviour. They found that the home environment and parental behaviour influenced food fussiness more than food neophobia, although these environmental factors were less important than a child's genetic influences.