Is Maternal Weight the Key to Preventing Childhood Obesity?
Before I conceived both of my children, I was at the peak of my physical health. I was hiking and practicing yoga daily, as well as eating an organic vegetarian diet. As my belly grew, these practices (except for the organic diet) began to wane; however, I still made an effort on most days. A recent article in the New York Times suggests that maternal diet is key to preventing childhood (and adult) obesity.
Studies involving rats show that when having access to junk food, pregnant rats ate roughly 40 percent more food and 56 percent more calories than rats who were fed just chow. Furthermore, once born, babies of the junk food rat mommas showed a preference for high fat and sugar foods and ate more than their chow fed peers. Does this research translate to humans?
