By Amy Bell •
January 28, 2009
According to researchers at the University of Minnesota, eating together as a family during adolescence is associated with lasting positive effects on dietary quality in young adulthood.
Students surveyed as teenagers were surveyed again at twenty years old to determine the long term effects of eating family meals. Researchers found that eating family meals together during childhood resulted in adults who ate more fruits and vegetables, and drank less soft drinks.
By Derek Markham •
December 13, 2008
Several recent studies point to the possible origination of both obesity and diabetes in the womb.
An article in the LA Times last year had a quote from Beverly Muhlhausler, a researcher at the University of South Australia and an authority on fetal diet and adult disease:
“What research is now showing is that consuming an excessive amount of high-fat, high-sugar foods during pregnancy can alter the development of the baby in such a way that predisposes that individual to becoming obese later in life.”
If we continue to wait until middle age to treat societal health issues like obesity and diabetes, we may not ever address the causes, which might already be treatable by changing the mother’s diet or addressing maternal weight gain.
