Almost 10,000 teenagers in the UK were asked by the researchers for their use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, out of which, about half responded. Then, data on the type of diet that their mothers took was analysed so as to find out potential links between the two, and based on that , conclusions were drawn.
Research finds that mothers who take veg diet are more likely to have kids who abuse drugs later in life.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Children of mothers who take veg diet during pregnancy abuse drugs later.
- It is being speculated that major reason could be a lack of Vitamin B-12.
- About 10k teenagers in UK were asked and analysed for the study.
The researchers established link between drug abuse in children and the diet of their mothers during pregnancy.
Almost 10,000 teenagers in the UK were asked by the researchers for their use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, out of which, about half responded. Then, data on the type of diet that their mothers took was analysed so as to find out potential links between the two, and based on that , conclusions were drawn.
It was seen that the children of women who ate the most meat during their pregnancy were less likely to be abusers of alcohol, tobacco or cannabis as compared to the children of mothers who ate less or no meat.
It is being speculated that the reason behind this could be the lack of Vitamin B-12 in women who don't eat meat, as the major source for this vitamin is meat products like fish and chicken. A deficiency of Vitamin B-12 is known to adversely affect brain development.
Although, the study doesn't strictly establish the relationship between the mother's diet and the children abusing these substances, as there could be numerous other complex factors leading to this.
The study is a part of a larger, ongoing study called the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
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