Infants born to mothers are often high-fat diet while pregnant susceptible to stress.
The phrase 'eating for two' during pregnancy has a broader meaning than just physical health. A mother who ate high-fat menu during pregnancy tend to make the baby more aggressive or has excessive anxiety.
A study by the National Primate Research Center, in Beaverton, Oregon, found that monkey infants whose mothers have a high-fat diet during pregnancy are more susceptible to stress and anxiety compared with mothers who eat a healthy diet.
Although the study was conducted in monkeys, there are many similarities with pregnancy in humans. Therefore, there is proximity between human and primate physiology is, said as quoted by LiveScience Kevin Grove.
The study distinguishes the diet of a group of monkeys who are pregnant. One group of female monkeys with 35 percent fat diet, and other low-fat diet by 13 percent. When a baby is a month old, lead researcher Elinor Sullivan makes the baby in stressful conditions, namely the presence of a foreign man near the cages and new toys in their cages.
The result, of all babies, 78 percent of babies whose mothers ate a diet high in fat react with anxiety or more aggressive. While only 11 percent among infants monkey with low-fat diet mothers who showed a negative reaction.
Even more surprising, the researchers said, overweight mothers did not affect the baby but levels of diet during pregnancy. Mothers with an average weight but have a poor diet, lowering stress and anxiety to their babies after birth. Symptoms of anxiety can be reduced in infants if a mother to switch to a better diet during pregnancy.
