Mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy may be putting their children at risk of developing long-term, irreversible health problems, a study carried out on rats suggests.
In response to the research, the British Dietetic Association (BDA) has reviewed the claims stating that while eating a healthy, balanced diet in pregnancy is important, eating high-fat, high-sugar foods may not necessarily lead to obesity in children.
Spokesperson for the BDA, Sue Baic, argued: "The important thing is it has been done on rats not humans. It doesn’t say it’s the same in humans I think that’s the important point.
"Obesity is quite complex it’s not as simple as just saying it’s down to what the mother eats and also means it’s not inevitable that just because your mother ate junk food in pregnancy that you are going to be obese."
The study by the Royal Veterinary College and London’s Wellcome Trust indicated that the offspring of the mothers fed junk food diets had raised levels of cholesterol as well as higher levels of triglycerides – both known to increase the risk of developing heart disease.
Also, the rat offspring had higher levels of glucose and insulin, both of which increase the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.
