The father's sperm determines the baby's gender, of course, but surprising new research by the universities of Exeter and Oxford suggest that there's more factors which come into play.
British scientists say a baby's gender is also associated with the mother's diet prior to pregnancy and at the time of conception.
Potassium-rich food, higher energy intake appears to make a woman's body more hospitable to sperm carrying the male chromosome, while low-calorie diets and skipping breakfast may greatly increase a woman's chances of having a baby girl.
Sounds a little hoaky to me, but according to scientists it makes perfect sense.
Lead author of the study, Fiona Mathews, of the University of Exeter said, "This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose to have low-calorie diets, the proportion of boys born is falling.
" She went on to say the findings, "fit with fertility research showing that male embryos aren't likely to survive in lab cultures with low sugar levels.
Skipping meals can result in low blood sugar levels.
" Over 700 women, pregnant for the first time, took part in the study.
None knew the gender of their unborn babies at the time.
They were questioned about their diet and eating habits in the year before they became pregnant.
Out of all the mothers with the highest calorie intake before pregnancy, 56 percent gave birth to baby boys, while only 45 percent of the mothers with the lowest calorie intake had boys.
Mothers were 87 percent more likely to have boys when they ate one or more bowls of cereal a day.
Fiona Mathews said, "Cereal is a typical breakfast in Britain and in the study, eating very little cereal was considered a possible sign of skipping breakfast.
" The mothers in the study who delivered boys ate an additional 300 milligrams of potassium a day, compared to the mothers who had girls, "which links quite nicely with the old wives' tale that if you eat bananas you'll have a boy," she said.
In addition, the mothers of boys ate approximately 400 calories more a day than the mothers of girls, on average.
Even if this is the case, it's not recommended to dramatically change your diet if you'd prefer to have one gender over the other.
But, if you're wanting a baby boy, eating more bananas and breakfast every morning isn't going to hurt! The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
I have four boys and one girl.
Before conceiving, I did tend to eat more fruit, including bananas (except when I conceived my daughter, I quite possibly ate less).
I rarely skip breakfast.
There could be something to this study after all!
British scientists say a baby's gender is also associated with the mother's diet prior to pregnancy and at the time of conception.
Potassium-rich food, higher energy intake appears to make a woman's body more hospitable to sperm carrying the male chromosome, while low-calorie diets and skipping breakfast may greatly increase a woman's chances of having a baby girl.
Sounds a little hoaky to me, but according to scientists it makes perfect sense.
Lead author of the study, Fiona Mathews, of the University of Exeter said, "This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose to have low-calorie diets, the proportion of boys born is falling.
" She went on to say the findings, "fit with fertility research showing that male embryos aren't likely to survive in lab cultures with low sugar levels.
Skipping meals can result in low blood sugar levels.
" Over 700 women, pregnant for the first time, took part in the study.
None knew the gender of their unborn babies at the time.
They were questioned about their diet and eating habits in the year before they became pregnant.
Out of all the mothers with the highest calorie intake before pregnancy, 56 percent gave birth to baby boys, while only 45 percent of the mothers with the lowest calorie intake had boys.
Mothers were 87 percent more likely to have boys when they ate one or more bowls of cereal a day.
Fiona Mathews said, "Cereal is a typical breakfast in Britain and in the study, eating very little cereal was considered a possible sign of skipping breakfast.
" The mothers in the study who delivered boys ate an additional 300 milligrams of potassium a day, compared to the mothers who had girls, "which links quite nicely with the old wives' tale that if you eat bananas you'll have a boy," she said.
In addition, the mothers of boys ate approximately 400 calories more a day than the mothers of girls, on average.
Even if this is the case, it's not recommended to dramatically change your diet if you'd prefer to have one gender over the other.
But, if you're wanting a baby boy, eating more bananas and breakfast every morning isn't going to hurt! The more I think about it, the more it makes sense.
I have four boys and one girl.
Before conceiving, I did tend to eat more fruit, including bananas (except when I conceived my daughter, I quite possibly ate less).
I rarely skip breakfast.
There could be something to this study after all!
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