Fit Mom: Diet during pregnancy may predict child’s weight later in life

Eating healthy foods and getting enough of the right kinds of  nutrients during pregnancy are no-brainers for any pregnant woman. We know eating well, avoiding alcohol (Hello, Kate Hudson!), getting rest, exercise and avoiding stress are all key to a healthy baby and a healthy mom. But a new study puts even more importance on what you choose to put in your mouth when you’re expecting and how those choices can affect your child’s tendency towards obesity later in life‘I know, just what we need, more mother’s guilt!

The international study, which included researchers from the U.K, New Zealand and Singapore, found that a mother’s diet can alter her child’s DNA‘a process called epigenetic change, which can lead to the child laying down more fat. And, the study showed that this process is not impacted by how fat or thin the mother is, or what the child’s weight was at birth.

The lead researcher, Keith Godfrey, was quoted as saying “This study indicates that measures to prevent childhood obesity should be targeted on improving a mother’s nutrition and her baby’s development in the womb. These powerful new epigenetic measurements might prove useful in the monitoring of the health of the child.” Definitely food for thought if you’re pregnant!