Pregnancy diet 'affects child's sense of smell'

The food a mother consumes during pregnancy can affect the sense of smell of their child, according to a new study.

Researchers used mice to carry out their investigation, finding the pups' sense of smell changes according to what their mother eats, teaching them to enjoy certain flavours in her diet.

As well as this, the scientists found changes to the structure of the brain's olfactory glomeruli, which processes smells, because odours in amniotic fluid affect the way the system develops.

"This highlights the importance of eating a healthy diet and refraining from drinking alcohol during pregnancy and nursing," said Josephine Todrank, PhD, who conducted the two-year study.

"If the mother drinks alcohol, her child may be more attracted to alcohol because the developing foetus 'expects' that whatever comes from the mother must be safe. If she eats healthy food, the child will prefer healthy food."

Recently, a study by researchers from the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in the US, found pregnant women who eat peanuts during gestation may put their babies at risk of developing an allergy to the nuts.