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Giving infants food that tends to be high in salt may set them up for a lifelong preference for salty foods.

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that cutting back on salty foods should begin at a very early stage of life, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The authors of the study said it was possible that infancy is a sensitive time where exposure to certain foods can program the brain to want them in the future.

Six-month-old babies are more likely to be fond of the taste of salt if they have been given it previously.

The enjoyment of salt seems to be lasting, as well, according to CNN. At the preschool age, the kids who were exposed to sodium as infants were more likely to prefer salty foods like hot dogs and french fries, and some even seemed to be excessive salt lovers.

However, infants that were not given the solid foods that were high in sodium and stayed on baby food for their first six months instead, or only given fruit in addition to their baby food, were more likely to be indifferent to salt as they continued to grow up.

“The implication is that this very early dietary experience may have a prolonged effect on how much individuals like the taste of salt,” Leslie J. Stein, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and a senior research associate at Monell Chemical Senses Center, in Philadelphia told CNN.

The study does not prove that eating salty foods in infancy makes one like high-sodium foods more in later life, it simply shows a correlation between the two preferences, the Los Angeles Times reported.

It is well known that Americans generally consume almost twice as much salt as is recommended, but little is known about the biology behind this.