Eat Banana for Baby Boy

Posted on April 28, 2008 in Pregnancy Diet

There is a popular old wives’ tale which says that bananas can determine the gender of your child. In other words it could be said that potassium rich food like banana might influence the sex of your child. According to a latest research study your pre-pregnancy diet can determine the sex of your unborn child. A team of British researchers conducted the research. To link the gender of the child and pre-pregnancy diet, this research is 1st of its kind. Although it is not established but the lab experiment shows that male embryo flourishes well when exposed to rich nutrient cultures.

The lead researcher Fiona Mathews, University of Exeter said: “the findings also 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.” The research findings are published in a British medical journal named as Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

How was the research conducted?

The research study was conducted on 700 pregnant women of UK. This was first pregnancy for all the 700 women under observation and they were ignorant about the gender of the developing fetus. It was observed that 56% of women with high calorie intake in pre-pregnancy phase had boys. The chances of having baby boy increased up to 87% if the women ate 1 bowl of cereal daily in breakfast as compared to women consuming 1 bowl cereal/week.

Research also showed that women who ate 300 milligrams/day of extra potassium had delivered a baby boy. Mathews said that: “Women who had boys also ate about 400 calories more daily than those who had girls, on average.” Mathews also said that: “The study results reflect women at opposite ends of a normal eating pattern, not those with extreme habits.”

Doctor’s Word on the Research Findings:

According to Dr. Tarun Jain, Fertility Specialist, University of Illinois, Chicago said: “It is not proof, but it fits with evidence from test tube fertilization that male embryos thrive best with longer exposure to nutrient-rich lab cultures.” Dr. Jain was not involved in the research study.

Dr. Michael Lu, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles said: “are certainly plausible from an evolutionary biology perspective. In other words, because boys tend to be bigger, it would make sense that it would take more calories to create them.” Lu also said: “a woman’s diet before pregnancy may be a marker for other factors in their lives that could influence their baby’s gender, including timing of intercourse.” Lastly he said that “The bottom line is, we still don’t know how to advise patients in how to make boys.”

It could be said that you don’t need to overeat in case you want a baby boy neither you need to starve yourself for a baby girl. Besides your pre-pregnancy diet there various other factors which determine the gender of your child. All you need to do is to eat healthy and balanced diet, this will ensure you healthy baby and healthy you.

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