@FIRSTPAR\1 PARIS Mothers who claim that their babies crave the same foods that they ate during pregnancy turn out to be right, say French scientists reported by AFP.

A team from France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) tested the response of 24 newborns, half of whose mothers had eaten anise -- the main flavor in aniseed -- during pregnancy.

The infants were exposed to anise odor immediately after birth and again four days afterwards, to see if they showed an attraction or aversion to the smell.

In both cases, infants born to anise-consuming mothers turned toward the smell, but those whose mothers did not eat anise either ignored it or turned away, the researchers say.

Their work, published in full in the specialist journal ****Chemical Senses****, is reported in next Saturday's issue of the British weekly ****New Scientist****.

The study is "the first clear evidence" that maternal diet can influence the food preferences of babies, they say.

The findings may also help to understand how an addiction for certain substances can be handed on in the womb, they believe.