A new study has hinted that depression and history of family alcoholism might play a significant role in how much of a sweet tooth a kid has.

"We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good. In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology", study author Julie A. Mennella, a developmental psycho biologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said.

For the sake of study, researchers analyzed 300 children, aged between 5 and 12 years, who were given tastes of five different amounts of table sugar in water, in order to effectively determine their most preferred level of sweetness. The kids were questioned about the presence of depressive symptoms and their mothers offered information on the use of alcohol in the family.

Results revealed that the liking for high sweetness was the most in the 37 children who had both depressive symptoms and a family history of alcohol abuse.

Details of the study have been published in the journal Addiction.