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'Junk Food' Mamas Can Alter Babies' Metabolism

CBN

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Mothers who indulge in junk food while they're pregnant may be programming their unborn babies to want the same kind of bad food and eventually grow to be obese, according researchers at Adelaide University in Australia.

Researchers say up to 50 percent of women who get pregnant are overweight or obese, increasing their child's risk of obesity later in life.

"The increasing prevalence of obesity among pregnant women has led to the establishment of an intergenerational cycle of obesity and metabolic disease," Adelaide University researcher Dr Beverly Muhlhausler said, according to News.com.au.

"In short, we are seeing heavier mothers giving birth to heavier infants who go on to be fatter and less metabolically healthy in later life," she said.

The researchers found that pregnant lab rats who ate the wrong food changed the appetites of their children. That led them to overeat and increased their appetites for sugary and fatty foods while also changing their metabolism.

The rats who ate junk food were twice as fat as rats who ate well.

"The positive news from animal studies is that good nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding can prevent early increases in body fat mass in the offspring," Muhlhausler said.

New research also proves men who are fit before conceiving a child improve the embryo's development.

"We know that male obesity has an adverse impact on sperm health and fertility, but this is the first time we have shown that the weight and metabolic state of the male impacts embryo and fetal health," Dr Michelle Lane, senior researcher, said.

"What's now clear is that the father's weight at conception is also a key factor to be considered. We can't forget dad in the early life nutrition equation," Lane said.

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