This is revealed by a study from the University of Adelaide (Australia) published in the March edition of the FASEB Journal. All the more reason to opt for a healthy diet during pregnancy.
Dr. Muhlausler and his fellow team conducted their research on the offspring from 2 groups of rats, one fed a healthy diet and the other a large number of foods high in fat and sugar during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Eating a fast food diet during pregnancy changes the development of the opioid signaling pathway in the baby’s brain. ” This change leads to a decrease in opioid sensitivity in children, who are born with an increased tolerance to “junk food” and therefore with an increased need to consume more to obtain a feeling of reward. Explains Dr Muhlauser.
The study claims that junk food can become addictive and moreover communicable. That it is therefore very important that pregnant women take care of their diet to prevent the risk of metabolic disease in their children.
Source: The FASEB Journal March 2013 doi: 10.1096 / fj.12-217653 A maternal “junk-food” diet reduces sensitivity to the opioid antagonist naloxone in offspring postweaning
