New Zealand scientists have been able to establish a correlation between a mother’s diet during pregnancy and the risk of obesity in her child.

According to a study published in the Journal Diabetes, the mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter the DNA of a child. Eating lot of carbohydrates during pregnancy could trigger change in function of a child’s DNA through a process called epigenetic change. This relative change in DNA is responsible for obesity in child as he grows.

Epigenetic is the growing field to understand the environmental effect and relative changes in genes due to its impact.

It’s believed that a developing baby tries to adjust its DNA according to the environment he will be born and during the process, it take hints from its mother to make environmental predictions.

Scientists observed 300 umbilical cords from new born babies and looked for epigenetic markers. A mother’s diet during first three months of her pregnancy showed the strong connection to alterations in DNA. Scientists were able to accurately predict about baby’s obese future by analyzing the degree of chemical changes in DNA.

Lead researcher Professor Sir Peter Gluckman feels that it’s one of the most important discoveries. He said that it will allow further research in area of public health. He added that study will continue for 2 more years to identify the food items that could be harmful for unborn baby.