Mother's Healthy Choices Influence Obesity in Offspring

A wide range of cutting edge obesity research¹ was presented at a Conference held March 28, 2008 in Great Brittan. The conference focused on the importance of prenatal, postnatal, and early childhood eating as a determinant for later life food choices and obesity risk.

Mothers who eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables while pregnant and nursing, while not consuming excess fat and carbohydrates, have a profound effect on the food choices their child makes later in life – directly influencing obesity risk.

The new science shows that a mother's food choices enter her amniotic fluid during pregnancy, as well as her breast milk during lactation, and may significantly impact food preferences when the child is done nursing. A mother's diet lacking fruit and vegetables leads to high fat and high sugar consumption – and a likelihood for obesity.

Mothers have a responsibility to be fit and eat well. Families have a responsibility to provide as stress-free of an environment for a pregnant and nursing mother as possible. These factors play a large role in the nerve development and food preferences in any child – with significant health implications for that child's future well being.