Fussy eating isn't 'a phase' but down to your genes, study claims

A new study suggests that fussy eating is 'all in the genes'. If your child turned their nose up at the Christmas dinner table, it may be due to a genetic trait, according to scientists.

The research indicates that fussy eating is primarily influenced by genes and is a "stable trait" from toddlerhood to early adolescence. The study, funded by UK health charity MQ Mental Health Research and led by scientists from University College London (UCL), King’s College London and the University of Leeds, was published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

The researchers compared survey results from parents of identical or non-identical twins in England and Wales, aged 16 months to 13 years old. They found that average levels of food fussiness were relatively stable during this period, peaking around the age of seven and declining slightly thereafter.

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The team concluded that genetic differences accounted for 60% of the variation in food fussiness at 16 months, rising to over 74% between the ages of three and 13. Environmental factors shared between twins, such as the types of foods eaten at home, were significant only in toddlerhood, while individual personal experiences became more influential in later years.

Food fussiness, which is characterised by a tendency to eat a limited variety of foods due to specific preferences for textures or tastes, or an unwillingness to try new foods, is a common issue among children. Dr Zeynep Nas from UCL, the lead author of the study, 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 from UCL and the senior author of the study, further explained: "While genetic factors are the predominant influence for food fussiness, the 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 implies 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, might be most effective in the very early years."

The research team from UCL analysed data from the 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 habits 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 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, suggesting a significant genetic influence. The team also found that identical twin pairs became more different in their fussy eating as they aged, indicating an increase in the role of unique environmental factors.

The researchers estimated that unique environmental factors accounted for about 25% of individual differences in fussy eating by the ages of seven and 13. Shared environmental factors contribute to a quarter of the individual differences in food fussiness among 16-month-old children, but this influence fades as they grow older.

Dr Alison Fildes from the University of Leeds, the study's senior author, said: "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."