EXETER , England, April 23 (UPI) -- British researchers suggest there is a correlation between a mother-to-be's diet around the time of conception and the sex of her child.
Researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford in England say they found a strong link between eating a high-energy diet around the time of conception and giving birth to sons.
Dr. Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter and colleagues investigated the diets of 740 first-time mothers. The mothers listed eating habits before and around conception and during the early months of their pregnancy.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, showed that 56 percent of the women in the highest calorie intake group had sons compared with 45 percent of the women in the lowest energy intake group.
There was also a strong association between eating breakfast cereals and having sons.
"This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose to have low-calorie diets -- and skip breakfast -- the proportion of boys born is falling," Mathews said in a statement.
The women were representative of Britain in weight, health and lifestyle, and there was no link between the mother's body mass index and baby's sex.
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