MONDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Eating an unhealthy diet
during pregnancy may raise your child's lifetime risk of obesity
and elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels, British
researchers report.
In tests on rats, a Royal Veterinary College team fed one group
of females a diet of processed junk food such as donuts, muffins,
cookies, chips and sweets during pregnancy and breast-feeding,
while another group of females received a healthy diet of regular
feed.
The researchers compared the offspring of the two groups of
female rats and found those born to mothers fed a junk food diet
had higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of fat
found in the bloodstream. Both increase the risk of heart
disease.
The offspring of the junk food-fed mothers also had higher
levels of glucose and insulin, both of which increase the risk of
type 2 diabetes.
These rats remained fatter through adolescence and into
adulthood than the offspring of the mothers who ate a healthier
diet during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
The study was published in the current issue of
The Journal of Physiology.
"It seems that a mother's diet whilst pregnant and
breast-feeding is very important for the long term health of her
child," study co-author Dr. Stephanie Bayol said in a prepared
statement. "We always say 'you are what you eat.' In fact, it may
be true that 'you are what your mother ate.' This does not mean
that obesity and poor health is inevitable, and it is important
that we take care of ourselves and live a healthy lifestyle. But it
does mean that mothers must eat responsibly whilst pregnant."
Even though this study was carried out in rats, the findings are
likely applicable to humans, study co-author Professor Neil
Stickland added.
"Humans share a number of fundamental biological systems with
rats, so there is good reason to assume the effects we see in rats
may be repeated in humans. Our research certainly tallies with
epidemiological studies linking children's weight to that of their
parents," Stickland said in a prepared statement.
More information
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers
advice about
nutrition during pregnancy.
