More ways to mess up a fetus: high fat diet and stress

Via Science Daily,

Feeding high-fat food to pregnant mice can affect their pups' brain development in ways that may cause them to be more vulnerable to obesity and to engage in addictive-like behaviors in adulthood, a new study has found.

I blame my mom and Southern cooking for everything that's wrong with me. So much for "eating for two."

Also, be calm. Breathe deep.

A new study published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology reveals that anxiety in pregnant women impacts their babies' size and gestational age. Specifically, women with more severe and chronic anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to have affected babies.

And Big Macs will make you both fat and unhappy.

Brain pleasure centers became progressively less responsive in rats fed a diet of high-fat, high-calorie food, a new study has found. As the changes occurred, the rats developed compulsive overeating habits -- and became obese. The overeating continued even when it meant the rats had to endure an unpleasant consequence (a mild foot shock) in order to consume the food.

I retract what I said about my mom. I blame it all on Ray Kroc.