媽媽在懷孕期間喜歡吃什么，孩子將來也喜歡吃什么,，這是不少人的經(jīng)驗之談,。一項最新研究證實，實驗鼠懷孕時的飲食習慣的確會從生理上影響小鼠大腦中相關神經(jīng)的發(fā)育,。這項成果提醒女性在懷孕期間需要注意健康飲食,，以幫助寶寶形成健康的飲食習慣。
新一期英國《皇家學會學報B》（Proceedings of the Royal Society B）刊登研究報告說,，美國科羅拉多大學等機構研究人員給懷孕和哺乳期間的實驗鼠提供了不同口味的飲食,，其中一組實驗鼠的飲食淡而無味，另外兩組實驗鼠的飲食分別具有較強的櫻桃味和薄荷味,。研究人員在小鼠斷奶時發(fā)現(xiàn),，與淡而無味飲食組相比，另外兩個飲食組小鼠大腦中處理氣味信號的“嗅小球”明顯較大,，在自己選擇食物時,，它們表現(xiàn)出與母鼠飲食味道相同的傾向，而那些淡而無味飲食組的小鼠則沒有明顯偏好,。
參與研究的約瑟芬·托德蘭克博士解釋說,，當胎兒在母體子宮內(nèi)發(fā)育時，它會認為母體攝入的所有食物成分都是安全的,，并在神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)中記住食物的味道,，作為自己今后尋找食物的依據(jù)。對于出生后需要四處尋找食物的小鼠來說,，這是一個很好的策略,。托德蘭克說，人類和小鼠同為哺乳動物,，所以這項研究結果也同樣適用于人類,。
研究人員表示，這項結果意味著除了營養(yǎng)方面的考慮外,，孕婦還需要注意保持健康的飲食習慣,，比如盡量不飲酒等。如果胎兒感受到酒精的味道，以后酗酒的可能性就會增大,；如果孕婦多吃健康食物,，將有助于孩子今后擁有健康的飲食習慣。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Proc. R. Soc. B doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2314
Effects of in utero odorant exposure on neuroanatomical development of the olfactory bulb and odour preferences
Josephine Todrank1,2,*, Giora Heth1,2 and Diego Restrepo1
Abstract
Human babies and other young mammals prefer food odours and flavours of their mother's diet during pregnancy as well as their mother's individually distinctive odour. Newborn mice also prefer the individual odours of more closely related—even unfamiliar—lactating females. If exposure to in utero odorants—which include metabolites from the mother's diet and the foetus's genetically determined individual odour—helps shape the neuroanatomical development of the olfactory bulb, this could influence the perception of such biologically important odours that are preferred after birth. We exposed gene-targeted mice during gestation and nursing to odorants that activate GFP-tagged olfactory receptors (ORs) and then measured the effects on the size of tagged glomeruli in the olfactory bulb where axons from olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) coalesce by OR type. We found significantly larger tagged glomeruli in mice exposed to these activating odorants in amniotic fluid, and later in mother's milk, as well as significant preferences for the activating odour. Larger glomeruli comprising OSNs that respond to consistently encountered odorants should enhance detection and discrimination of these subsequently preferred odours, which in nature would facilitate selection of palatable foods and kin recognition, through similarities in individual odours of relatives.
