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Last Updated: Jun 30, 2008 - 11:14:37 AM |
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WEDNESDAY April 23, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- It has been known for a long time that what a woman eats at the time of conception may determine the gender of her baby. A new UK study confirmed that women who eat more mineral and vitamins may have better odds of having a boy.
Although the father gives two types of sperm which fundamentally decide the baby's sex, the mother's body chemistry may in part decide which type of sperm gets into the egg developing into an embryo.
Studies showed the women's body chemistry is affected by what they eat. Observations have been made that eating so-called alkaline foods seems to increase a woman’s odds of having a boy because an alkaline environment protects the male sperm (sperm that forms boys) and increase their chances of getting into the egg. Alkaline foods are said to result in an alkaline pH in the body.
The current study showed women who consumed a high energy or calorie diet around the time of conception were more likely to have boys. But it is not as clear whether eating more calorie had a direct impact or just a marker of lifestyle.
For the study, Dr. Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter and colleagues surveyed 740 first-time mothers for their diets around the time of conception and during the early months of pregnancy.
Among those who had highest intake of calories, 56 percent had sons compared to 45 percent among those who had lowest intake of energy, the study found.
But those who had high intake of energy were also more likely to have consumed a wider variety and had higher intake of nutrients including potassium, calcium, vitamin C. E and B12. Also, eating breakfast cereals seemingly raised the odds of having a boy.
Foods with high levels of potassium and calcium tend to be alkaline foods that are said to help create an alkaline environment in women's bodies, which are friendlier to male sperm than the acidic environment. Male sperm die more easily in an acidic environment.
The association between minerals and vitamins and high odds of giving births to boys may in part explain why in the industrialized countries births are given to more girls than boys. The Western diet contains relatively lower amounts of mineral, vitamin C and E rich foods.
The study published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences suggests that it is possible that a woman may use certain foods to influence their odds to have a boy.
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