How Our Childhood Diet Impacts Our Health as Adults

Struggling with your weight? You’re childhood diet may be the culprit.

According to a new study, our pre-natal and early childhood environments play a role in our risks of developing cardio vascular disease, obesity and diabetes in the future.

"My research has shown that the food we eat changes how active certain genes in our body are--what we call genetic expression," explains Dr. Raylene Reimer, a researcher at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology. "In particular we believe that our diet has a direct influence on the genes that control how our bodies store and use nutrients."

Reimer's study compared rats that were weaned on separate diets: One group was fed a high protein diet, while the other group was fed a high fiber diet. When the rats became adults, they were switched to a high fat, high sugar diet to reflect a typical western diet.

Turns out the rats that ‘grew up’ on a high protein diet packed on more weight and body fat than the rats that had eaten the high-fiber diet.

"This study clearly indicates that diet composition alone can change the trajectory of circulating satiety hormones and metabolic pathways that influence how we gain weight or control blood sugar as adults," Reimer says.

Why does this matter to you? Because this study shows our early childhood diet may impact our health as adults. If you’re an adult, there’s not much you can do about it now, but if you’re a parent to a young child--or a mother to be--take note! Make sure your kids eat a clean diet loaded with fruits and vegetables, and be a healthy eating role model.