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A dad’s diet can affect a baby’s health before they’re even conceived, a new study from Brazil suggests.
Researchers found that the more ultra processed food (think soda and chips, fast food, boxed cereal) a dad eats, the heavier the baby will be at birth, and the more fat in their thighs and suprailiac region just above the hip, commonly known as “love handles.”
A chubby baby is hardly cause for alarm, but researchers say these signs could point to negative health outcomes as they grow into children and even affect them into adulthood.
This helps shine a light on the father’s role in babies’ health outcomes where research has historically focused on how mom’s health affects the baby.
“Maternal nutrition and health before, during, and after the baby’s birth have always received attention, but little is said about the role of the father’s diet,” says Daniela Sartorelli, an author on the study. “Our study shows that it also matters a great deal for the baby’s health.”
How do dads’ diets affect their babies?
This study showed dads who eat a lot junk food have babies that weigh more. A previous study showed overweight dads actually had babies who weighed less.
Either way, dad’s health and choices make a difference.
Babies born heavy or light have an increased risk of death, but also are more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases later in life like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Being too heavy can also slow down physical learning milestones, like crawling and walking.
How does this happen?
Researchers believe ultra-processed foods feed inflammation, affecting sperm, and changing which genes are turned on or off in the baby.
“This process is known as epigenetics,” explains Mariana Rinaldi Carvalho, co-author of the study. “Gene activity can be ‘activated’ or ‘deactivated’ depending on the father’s dietary habits.”
Specifically, researchers looked at the gene IGF-II, which is inherited from the father only. This is responsible fetal growth.
While dads’ consumption of ultra processed foods were associated with higher birth weights in the baby, mom’s habits actually showed the opposite.
When moms ate these foods in early pregnancy (up until the 16th week, it was associated with lower birth weight, shorter height, and smaller head circumference at birth. Researchers believe that’s because ultra-processed foods are “nutrient poor.”
Avoiding ultra-processed foods
These foods can have serious consequences outside of how it might affect babies.
Ultra processed foods can put people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression, dementia and even premature death.
Look out for foods that are made from extracts rather than whole foods and put together in a lab. They often include preservatives, sweeteners, colorants, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, and other additives not found in a typical home kitchen.
Instead of being made from food ingredients, they’re made to resemble flavor and mimic texture of food made in a kitchen. For example, you might find synthetic vanillin rather than actual vanilla used. Stabilizers might be used for things like dressing, to keep the oil and vinegar together where they would naturally separate.
Some examples of ultra processed foods are soft drinks, powdered mixes for making fruit-flavored drinks, sweets and chocolates, cereal bars, ice cream, packaged bread, margarine, cake mixes, morning cereals, pre-prepared pizzas, chicken and fish nuggets, sausages, hamburgers and other reconstituted meat products and instant noodles.
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