Babies hooked on junk food in the womb, by Daily Mail Online

Mothers-to-be who gorge on junk food may be more likely to give birth to a child with a sweet tooth, research shows. The study, one of the first of its kind, suggests that a mother’s diet during pregnancy, and even when breastfeeding, can affect her unborn child’s taste for foods.Researchers warned that women who use pregnancy as an excuse to indulge in fatty foods when “eating for two” may be inadvertently putting their children at risk of obesity in later life.

The finding comes as Britain fights the worst weight problem in Europe with almost a quarter of adults classed as obese. Child obesity rates have trebled over the last 20 years, with 10 per cent of six-year-olds and 17 per cent of 15-year-olds now obese.

By 2050, half of all primary school-age boys and a fifth of girls could be so overweight that their health is at serious risk.

Experts have warned that unless the Government acts now, an entire generation faces an old age blighted by heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases brought on by obesity, with today’s children dying at a younger age than their parents.

The latest research suggests that some of the roots of obesity can be traced back to the first days of life, with exposure to fatty and salty foods in the womb and through breastmilk having long-lasting effects on the development of those parts of the brain that control appetite.

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