Mothers’ diet during pregnancy may cause child obesity

A research has thrown light on the inclination of babies' to be overweight, which is thought to be wired at birth itself, mainly due to the mothers' diet during pregnancy. A study that analyzed nearly 12,900 babies found that as compared to all of UK, the Scottish babies' weight scored the highest.

According to researchers, this situation can be remedied if pregnant women were made aware of a balanced diet required during pregnancy. Professor Steve Bloom, an obesity expert at Imperial College London, said that genes did contribute in some measure, but it cannot be blamed on genes alone.

He said: "The other factors that play an increasingly important role are simply lack of exercise and eating too much. Genes only play a small part. Tackling weight problems is still in your own hands."

Dr David Haslam, the clinical director of the National Obesity Forum said "There is now research to suggest that at every stage in life there are factors which influence obesity. At the moment every stage of the cycle is wrong and needs looking at. Until that happens it is like a vicious circle where a mother is imprinting her baby with a faulty metabolism which is passed on in the genes and just keeps on being passed on."

It would certainly do a world of good if nutrition issues are addressed at the school level itself, so that children can form healthy dietary habits.