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Re:How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income ... by wolverine876 on Wednesday April 17, 2024 @03:25PM (#40069071)
I wonder how much sugar craving depends on age. As a child I would happily eat spoonfuls of plain sugar. Children seem much happier eating candy, etc. than adults. I wonder if sugar provides some additional value to children.

So when adults say, 'I discovered I didn't need as much sugar', maybe they, like the children, are just following their biological urges.

I did a very quick look for research on the question but didn't find anything.

Re:How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income ... by therealdrag0 on Wednesday April 17, 2024 @04:23PM (#40069675)
I think this is part of it. Iirc “studies show” appreciation of bitterness (coffee, dark chocolate, broccoli) correlated with age. Iirc it was biologically related, but don’t quote me on that.
Re:How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income ... by positr0n on Wednesday April 17, 2024 @05:32PM (#40070277)
I've seen speculation that this is evolutionarily driven.

Kids do not have the wisdom to know which bitter foods are ok and which could harm you, so they avoid them all or die. By adulthood the selection pressure is much smaller because you will have learned what is safe to eat.

Re:How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income ... by jbernsteiniv on Wednesday April 17, 2024 @10:34PM (#40072375)
Part of it too is not just age but also careful engineering to breed out bitter compounds. Case example: brusselsprouts

"About 30 years ago, a Dutch scientist identified the chemicals that made brussels sprouts bitter. He selected seed varieties with lower levels of the bitter chemicals and bred new high-yielding varieties that tasted less bitter."

source: https://www.iowafarmbureau.com/Article/Its-not-your-imaginat...

some of it is to do with age too though. :P

Re:How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income ... by consf on Saturday April 20, 2024 @07:24PM (#40101884)
Children's taste buds are more sensitive to sweetness compared to adults