Dieting pregnant women likely to have obese children

London, April 3 (IANS) Women who become pregnant while dieting are more likely to have a child that could be obese or diabetic in later life, a British study suggests.

Researchers found in a study on sheep that giving ewes less food at the time of conception caused DNA changes in the brains of their young, the Daily Mail reported.

The University of Manchester scientists suspect the findings may hold true for humans as well and could explain why twins are more likely to develop diabetes in adulthood.

The study investigated twin pregnancies in sheep as well the pregnancies of ewes that received less food around the time the lamb was conceived.

The team's findings in sheep, if replicated in humans, suggest that obesity and diabetes could be more likely in twins and in children from mothers who aren't eating properly, or dieting, around the time of conception, the Mail said Tuesday.