Sugar & Junk Food Cravings? Mom May Be to Blame?

Can mom set their unborn babies on a path to sugar addiction or junk food binges, thereby leading them to become overweight or obese? A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests just that.

Indeed, children of pregnant or breastfeeding women who eat sugary, fatty, and salty foods may develop these exact same unhealthy-food cravings, researchers from the Royal Veterinary College found.

"Future mothers should be aware that pregnancy and lactation are not the time
to over-indulge on fatty and sugary treats on the assumption that they are
‘eating for two," said Professor Neil Stickland, co-author of the study, which was funded by Wellcome Trust, a UK foundation that funds research to improve
human and animal health.

In fact, lead author Dr Stéphanie
Bayol says that their research shows that "eating large quantities of junk food when pregnant and
breastfeeding could impair the normal control of appetite and promote an
exacerbated taste for junk food in offspring."

What’s more, she speculates, consuming that junk food "could send offspring on the road to obesity and make the task of
teaching healthy eating habits in children even more challenging."

For the study, which we learned about thanks to ScienceDaily.com,
scientists gave rats a diet of donuts, muffins, biscuits, and other
sweets and processed foods while they were pregnant or nursing their
offspring. Sure enough, the newborn rats of mothers, who ate junk food
overrate and preferred foods high in sugar, fat, and salt compared to
babies of moms who ate regular rat food.

Although the study was on rats, the research team believes that the findings have implications for
humans.

"Exposure to a maternal junk-food diet during their foetal and suckling life
might help explain why some individuals might find it harder than others to
control their junk-food intake even when given access to healthier foods later
in life," explains Dr Bayol.

So, pregnant or nursing women, please take good care of your babies — feed yourselves only quality foods so that your babies will begin to develop healthy habits while still in the womb.