Pregnant Mothers Who Drink Diet Softdrinks Are More Likely To Have Obese Children

Mothers are vulnerable to health concerns during the course of their pregnancy. Pregnant mothers are advised to take extra precaution to safeguard their immune systems from diseases and infections. The food and drinks they consume should be watched, too.

There are numerous reports claiming about the dangers of softdrinks, with diet sodas not an exemption despite manufacturers' claims that it has reduced sugar content. However, some people—including pregnant women—think diet soda is a health-conscious choice. A new study pointed out the dangers of diet softdrinks to pregnant women and their unborn child.

Researchers of the study from Canada's University of Manitoba found that pregnant mothers who regularly drink artificially sweetened beverages like diet soda will likely have obese or overweight children. The study, which was published on May 9 in JAMA Pediatrics, examined more than 3,000 children and their mothers in Canada.

Heavier BMI Among Newborns

According to the researchers, pregnant mothers who drink beverages with artificial sweeteners have babies with heavier body mass index, or BMI, at age 1. The study found that 30 percent of the mothers examined consumed beverages with artificial sweeteners during their pregnancy. These beverages include diet soda, as well as coffee and tea sweetened with sachets of Splenda and Equal, among others.

The research found that mothers' consumption of artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy didn't affect the babies' weights when they were born. Rather, the effects of artificial sweeteners were seen after the babies' birth and not when they were still developing in their mothers' wombs.

What To Avoid During Pregnancy

FoodSafety.gov has listed foods that pregnant women should avoid. The checklist includes cheese, sushi, cookie dough or cake batter, unpasteurized and freshly squeezed juice, unpasteurized milk, salads in stores and raw shellfish.

Pregnant women are also advised to be careful around ice cream, fish, deli-style meat and poultry and smoked seafood. Researchers of the study said pregnant women should add diet softdrinks to the list of foodstuff they must avoid.

Unborn Babies' Metabolism Slowed

Another study from Kaiser Permanente supports the findings of the JAMA Pediatrics research. In it, the authors said mothers who have elevated blood sugar and excess weight have higher chances of having obese children even though the babies are at a normal weight at birth. The babies are 30 percent more susceptible to obesity or being overweight when they reach the ages of two to 10.

Teresa Hillier, the study's lead author, said the mothers' elevated blood sugar and excess weight may be changing the unborn child's metabolism. The fetus seems to be becoming accustomed to an "overfed environment."