EXCLUSIVE: Pregnant women have long been told their diet and exercise habits impact the health of their unborn child, but new research reveals they could also be affecting their future grandchildren.

In what is being dubbed ‘the three generational footprint’, Australian researchers are proving the link between a grandmother and her grandchildren is much stronger than has been assumed.

Essentially, the health of a baby is being influenced as much by its maternal grandmother as its actual mother.

It’s all about eggs

University of NSW head of Pharmacology Margaret Morris said every baby girl is born with up to two million eggs in her ovaries, so a pregnant woman is not only carrying her baby — but if that baby is a girl, the beginnings of her grandchild.

“In many respects, you are what your grandmother ate,” Professor Morris said.

“The mother’s diet and lifestyle not only impacts the health profile of her unborn child, but if that child is a girl, it can also impact the make-up of the eggs developing in the child’s reproductive system,” she said.

Double whammy

Senior Research Fellow from the University of Adelaide, Dr Beverly Muhlhausler, said a mother’s unbalanced diet can significantly increase the risk of obesity in both her daughter and grandchild.

“What the grandmother did during her pregnancy can actually impact on the mother in a way in which it affects the grandchild,” Dr Muhlhausler said.

“A mother who consumes a diet high in saturated fats and sugar can unintentionally precondition her child — and ultimately her grandchild — to have a preference for these foods and ‘supercharge’ their fat cells to be able to store more fat more quickly”.

Lifestyle impact

But Dr Muhlhausler said if women are made aware their lifestyle choices during pregnancy are far-reaching and can impact multiple generations, there may be additional motivation for women to eat healthily throughout that period.

She recommends pregnant women follow a balanced diet, incorporating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and fatty fish which are high in Omega 3.

Dr Muhlhausler said women should avoid eating too many foods which are high in sugar, salt or saturated fat, and to get their vitamin levels checked during pregnancy.