Houston researchers say obesity begins in the womb

  

HOUSTON -- Houston researchers say the cycle of obesity likely begins in the womb.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers say when pregnant women eat a high fat diet, it changes the infant's genetics and sets them up to be overweight.

They conducted the study in primates and found it didn't matter if the mother was obese or normal weight. What mattered was whether she ate a low fat diet during pregnancy.

If so, the infants were not prone to being overweight.

Baylor researchers believe it's the high fat diet and not maternal obesity that causes chemical modifications to occur in the infants.

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