Mother’s Diet Influences Sex of Baby

A new study finds that a mother’s diet during pregnancy influences the sex of the baby, giving new meaning to the old adage, “you are what you eat.”

Oysters may excite the libido, but there is nothing like a hearty breakfast laced with sugar to boost a woman’s chances of conceiving a son, according to a study released Wednesday.

Likewise, a low-energy diet that skimps on calories, minerals and nutrients is more likely to yield a female of the human species, says the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Britain’s de facto academy of sciences.

Ironically, that pretty much corresponds to how the sexes eat later in life.

FILED UNDER: Gender Issues, Health, Science & Technology,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. DC Loser says:

    Wait a minute, what about that whole business with the X and Y chromosomes from the man?

  2. Bithead says:

    DURING Pregnancy?
    Don’t you mean BEFORE?

  3. Steve Plunk says:

    Yeah, I thought the male contribution determined the sex. Isn’t the science settled on this? Wasn’t there consensus? I need to know. I don’t want to be labeled a denier.

  4. Grewgills says:

    It is not uncommon in animals for maternal health and nutrition effect the sex of offspring. Generally speaking more well fed mothers produce more boys.
    According to the article eating cereal for breakfast was a larger factor than total caloric intake. Women who ate cereal for breakfast regularly prior to conception were more likely to have boys. No mechanism was proposed in any of the free articles I found referencing this.