So Dad’s diet also affects the baby and mental health

It has been known for quite a while that the mother’s health and diet has a major impact on an unborn child.

Recent research based at RMIT University in Melbourne has shown that Dad’s diet could also be having an effect. It is one of the first studies specifically focussed on Dad and not Mum.

It is not only what he eats but how much that seems to be important, particularly to the mental health of the child.

The research was done using two groups of male rats, the first was allowed to eat as much as they wanted and the second had a diet with 25 percent less calories.

Professor Antonio Paolini from RMIT’s School of Health Sciences said; “Even though the father’s had no contact with their offspring and the mother’s behaviour remained relatively unchanged, the offspring of the food-limited rats were lighter, ate less and showed less evidence of anxiety.”

With humans in western countries becoming more and more obese generally, this finding should be ringing alarm bells for our society. Interestingly there seems to be an increasing number of kids with Autism, so the question seems to be begging – is there a relationship between increased food intake of fathers and their kids potentially having mental health issues or conditions?

Western society has food available in excess and very few actually now go hungry. This is a huge change from generations ago, when many did not know where their next meal was coming from.

This research has significant findings which may have major effects on public health and on how and what food manufacturers will be allowed to make.

The research will shortly be published in the scientific journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.