Mother's Meat-Heavy Diet Affects Stress Response of Child

According to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, mothers who eat an unbalanced, meat-heavy diet during pregnancy risk having children who have an exaggerated hormonal response to stress when adults.

Research subjects included 70 adult children of British women who, in the late 1960s, had been advised to eat a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet to lower their risk of preeclampsia. Researchers took saliva samples from the subjects before, during and after performing two stressful tasks, public speaking and mental arithmetic. In general, levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol climbed in parallel to the amount of meat study participants' mothers had eaten late in pregnancy.

According to the researchers, this indicates diets similar to the Atkins-style plans are "not sensible" for pregnant women. "Instead, women should strive for balanced diets that include healthy carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- especially green vegetables ... as they contain important nutrients like the B vitamin folate."