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12th April 2004 Study into low carb diet in pregnancy A group of people whose mothers ate an Atkins-type diet while pregnant 30 years ago are to be part of new research by scientists. A team from Edinburgh and Southampton universities has traced almost 1,000 of the 60s babies, known as the 'Motherwell babies', whose mothers were put on a high meat, low carbohydrate diet during pregnancy. The offspring will be put through mental health tests to try and learn more about the effects of a mother's diet on her children. Previous studies have suggested that the babies of women with less balanced diets grow up to have higher blood pressure and stress hormone levels, as well as altered blood sugar. These factors can put people at increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Dr Rebecca Reynolds, of Edinburgh University, said the "Motherwell babies" would play an important part in the research. Dr Reynolds said, "We now know that growth from the very earliest days in the womb affects health in adulthood, particularly the risks of heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. "If the mother eats an unbalanced diet this can trigger her body to produce increased amounts of stress hormones, which can then have long-term effects on the stress responses of her unborn baby. "These stress responses could be an important part of the link between development in the womb and health in later life." The mothers from the 60s had their diet monitored by obstetrician Dr Kerr Grieve. He believed that unhealthy eating was the cause of many of the problems suffered by mothers and babies. Dr Keith Godfrey, of Southampton University, said many young women now ate unbalanced diets, such as the Atkins diet. "This research in Motherwell will help us to identify if such diets have long-term effects on the health of the baby," he said. "This is an important part of research to determine how best to improve a mother's nutrition during pregnancy. This could have lifelong benefits for the health of the baby." The study is being funded by the Chief Scientist Office and the Medical Research Council. Where to next?
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