Early Nutrition for Later Health: Time to Act Earlier discusses the emerging evidence that a mother’s weight and nutritional status before and during pregnancy can have a long-lasting effect on the health of her children and their risk of disease in later life.
The report points out that diabetes levels have doubled over the past 20 years, while more than a quarter of five-year-olds having tooth decay from consuming too much sugary food and drink. England is the ninth fattest nation in Europe, and one in four seven- to-11-year-olds are overweight or obese.
‘Clear guidance in pregnancy and pre-conception needs to be our new focus. That is why we need to focus earlier on in the life cycle, to influence nutrition and life choices from before conception through to pre-school,’ said Dr Atul Singhal, Professor of Paediatric Nutrition at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Chair of the ITF.
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