You Are What Your Mother Ate

There is a ton of research showing that that obese parents are more likely to have obese children. Whether it’s genetics or lifestyle choices, fat parents are doomed to take the blame for their fat kids.

But what if you’re a chubby couple trying to have kids…and you don’t want your kids to follow in your plus-sized footsteps…..what do you do?

Diet?   –   According to the latest research, that’s a bad idea.

A new study (sheep…not human) suggests that twins, and babies of mothers who diet around the time of conception and in early pregnancy, may have an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes throughout their lives.

“This study may provide a new understanding of why twins can develop diabetes,” said Anne White, Ph.D., study author from the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester in Manchester, UK. “It also suggests that dieting around the time a baby is conceived may increase the chance of the child becoming obese later in life.”

Conclusion

While there is nothing you can do about your genetics, it’s looking more and more like our lifestyle choices have a profound epigenetic effect on our health…and the health of our unborn children. It’s also looking like extreme lifestyle choices ( ex. over-eating or under-eating) end up causing problems across the board.

The research is finally catching up with common sense.

• Eat in moderation.
• Exercise in moderation.
• Stop sitting so darn much.
• Develop friendships in the real (not virtual) world.
• Put away the car keys and go for a walk

Reference

• EurekAlert
• FASEBJ