Children who get recurrent otitis media suffer damage to the nerves controlling taste and such infections may affect food choices, the researchers said at the 116th annual convention of the American Psychological Association in Boston.
Lead researcher Kathleen Daly, a professor of otolaryngology at the University of Minnesota, followed children from birth to 2 years of age who had been treated with tubes for ear infections.
The study revealed that ear infections may alter taste perception in a way that leads to a heightened preference for high-fat and highly sweetened foods. Preschoolers with a history of severe ear infections ate fewer vegetables, more sweets and tended to be heavier.
Researchers also presented findings showing an increased risk for obesity in children who have had their tonsils removed. Researchers said that a tonsillectomy may damage one of the nerves that carries taste information.
The association between either ear infection or tonsil removal surgery and obesity was shown by five separate studies aired at the conference.
