A new study has indicated that fussy eating may be rooted in genetics. Scientists suggest that if your child was picky at the Christmas dinner table, it could be due to a genetic trait.
The research, which is mainly influenced by genes, points out that fussy eating is a "stable trait" from toddlerhood through to early adolescence. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and funded by UK health charity MQ Mental Health Research, involved researchers from University College London (UCL), King's College London, and the University of Leeds.
They analysed survey responses from parents of identical and non-identical twins across England and Wales, ranging in age from 16 months to 13 years old. Findings revealed that average levels of food fussiness remained relatively constant over time, with a slight peak around seven years old and a minor decline thereafter.
Genetic differences were found to account for 60% of the variation in food fussiness at 16 months, increasing to over 74% between the ages of three and 13. While environmental factors shared between twins, such as home diets, had some significance in toddlerhood, unique environmental factors to each twin, like individual experiences, grew more impactful in later years, reports the Mirror.
Food fussiness, which is the tendency to eat a limited variety of foods due to texture or taste selectivity or a reluctance to try new things, has been discussed by Dr Zeynep Nas from UCL. She 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."
Professor Clare Llewellyn, also of UCL, noted: "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, which is the largest twin group ever established to investigate genetic and environmental contributions to early growth. The study involves 2,400 sets of twins.
Parents completed questionnaires about their children's eating behaviours at ages 16 months, three, five, seven, and thirteen years old. To separate genetic from environmental influences, the researchers 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 discovered that non-identical twin pairs were much less similar in their fussy eating than identical twin pairs, indicating a significant genetic influence. The team also found that identical twin pairs became more different in their fussy eating as they aged, suggesting an increase in the role of unique environmental factors at older ages.
The researchers estimated that unique environmental factors accounted for about 25% of individual differences between children in fussy eating by ages seven and 13.
Environmental influences played a part in food fussiness among children at 16 months, accounting for about a quarter of the variations seen, but these factors tapered off as children got older, according to research led by Dr Alison Fildes from the University of Leeds. Dr Fildes explained: "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."