You are what your mum ate

1 July 2008

Mothers who eat an unhealthy diet during pregnancy may be putting their children at risk of developing long-term, irreversible health issues, including obesity and raised cholesterol levels.

The Wellcome Trust-funded research, carried out in rats, suggests that the effect is most pronounced in female offspring. Dr Stephanie Bayol and Professor Neil Stickland from the Royal Veterinary College, London compared the offspring of rats fed a diet of processed junk food during pregnancy and lactation with the offspring of those fed a healthy diet of regular feed.

The offspring of the mothers fed junk food had raised levels of cholesterol as well as higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the bloodstream. Both are known to increase the risk of developing heart disease. They also had higher levels of glucose and insulin, which both increase the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

“It seems that a mother’s diet while pregnant and breastfeeding is very important for the long-term health of her child,” says Dr Bayol. “We always say ‘you are what you eat’. In fact, it may also be true that ‘you are what your mother ate’. This does not mean that obesity and poor health is inevitable… but it does mean that mothers must eat responsibly while pregnant.”

Bayol S et al. Offspring from mothers fed a ‘junk food’ diet in pregnancy and lactation exhibit exacerbated adiposity that is more pronounced in females. J Physiol 2008;586(13):3219–30.