International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Mothers-to-be may joke about eating for two, however, overindulging while pregnant can be harmful for the baby.

A new study detailed in the journal Obesity Reviews, which looked at a range of research conducted across the globe, concluded that children whose mums overate while pregnant are at greater risk of suffering from low IQs, eating disorders and psychosis.

Research conducted at McMaster University in Canada which was examined as part of the study highlighted that children born to obese mothers have IQs on average five points lower than their counterparts born to women of a healthy weight.

Previous research from the University of Teesside found that one in six women in the UK are obese by the time they reach their third month of pregnancy.

Earlier this month, Yvonne Bishop-Weston, health and nutrition consultant with Foods for Life in the UK, said that women who eat badly during pregnancy risk themselves and their babies becoming malnourished.

Posted by Paul Robertson