Eating too much sugar at any point in your life isn’t good for you but it seems that you really need to watch your intake when you are pregnant.
According to Science Daily, a study has found that consuming large amounts of fructose during pregnancy could have an impact on your kids and future generations.
Researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston did an experiment involving pregnant mice.
They gave the animals either water or a 10 per cent fructose drink (similar to the fructose level in soft drinks) before feeding their offspring water and a normal mouse diet.
After a year, the experts assessed the health of the offspring and it was found that the those belonging to the pregnant mice who drank the fructose drink were at greater risk of heart disease.
As well as higher glucose levels and blood pressure, female offspring were also heavier and had a higher level of fat.
The findings, which were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, are important because a large number of processed foods and fizzy drinks contain fructose.
Speaking about the results, study leader Antonio Saad said: “We found that when the mother has a high intake of fructose in her diet throughout pregnancy, her offspring is more at risk of developing adult obesity, high blood pressure and metabolic dysfunction, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
“This effect is more pronounced in female offspring. Limiting intake of high fructose-enriched foods and beverages during pregnancy may have a great impact on the child’s future health.”
Mice have a similar physiology to humans which is why the majority of these experiments involve them. It is important to note that this particular study is not suggesting that you avoid fructose altogether but merely that you keep track of your intake because findings do show that it could potentially impact on your kids in later life.
