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By BRIDGE8 under license from Mangorolla CIC 2024
Hi mariah11,
I find that a very interesting question.
Adults of course have BIGGER appetites, but it seems that what tastes they like can change as well. I think very few young children like blue cheese, for example.
But I’m not sure what the scientific evidence or explanation is for this. Kate, Nathan or Bev might know?
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Hi there,
Good question – I guess there are two parts to the answer.
Appetite (or how much you eat) is related to how much energy your body needs – it needs most during periods of rapid growth (which is why teenagers eat a lot more than adults!). The time when humans grow most rapidly is over the first 2 years of life, and this is also a major period of brain development, so energy needs (relative to size) are highest of all in babies and toddlers.
As humans get older their metabolism slows down and they are usually less active, and because of this older adults need to eat less than younger adults.
The other part of what we eat is taste – and that changes a lot over person’s life. Most kids naturally prefer sweet tastes, and dislike sour or bitter tastes. We think that this is something that evolved early in our devlopment, and stopped young humans and animals from eating bitter plants (which were often poisonous) or sour fruits or berries (which were often unripe or toxic) before they had a chance to learn what was good to eat and what wasnt. As we get older and get exposed to more different foods, our taste buds develop and we accept a greater variety. Older adults start to lose their sense of taste (this is the first sense to go for most people!), and this also causes them to eat less.
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hi mariah11
Thats a really good question and Bev has it pretty much covered. But it seems I have not grown up very much because I still have a really sweet tooth!
As you age, and your metabolism changes, your nutrient needs change too so you have to eat the right amounts and proportions of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Older people have a hard time building muscles, so its important to maintain your proteins, carbs and exercise as you age to help maintain the muscles you have.
I did not know that our taste is one of the first senses to go as we age… I’d better keep eating to get as many tastes in before that happens!! eek. 😉
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