How much a mother eats at the time of conception may influence whether she gives birth to a boy or a girl, a new report shows.The report, from researchers at Oxford and the University of Exeter in England, is said to be the first evidence that a child's sex is associated with a mother's diet. Although sex is genetically determined by whether sperm from the father supplies an X or Y chromosome, it appears that a mother's body can favor the successful development of a male or female embryo.
在一个最新报告中显示，妈妈在怀孕时吃多少可能会影响她生男孩还是女孩。来自英格兰牛津大学和艾克赛特大学的研究人员所发布的报告是至今第一个证据证明孩子的性别与妈妈的饮食有关系。虽然，在基因学上性别是由精子所提供的X或者Y染色体所决定的，但这个报告显示母亲的身体却对男性与女性胚胎的成功生长有着不同偏好。
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, shows a link between higher energy intake around the time of conception and the birth of sons. The difference is not huge, but it may be enough to help explain the falling birthrate of boys in industrialized countries, including the United States and Britain.
研究结果，发表在英国皇家学会学报B卷:生物科学上面，显示了怀孕时高能量的获取与生男孩子之间的联系。这种区别不大，但是已经足够说明发达国家，包括美国和英国，男孩出生率降低的现象。
The reason food intake may influence the development of one sex of infant rather than another isn't fully understood. However, in vitro fertilization studies show that high levels of glucose encourage the growth of male embryos while inhibiting female embryos.It may be that male embryos are less viable in women who regularly limit food intake, such as skipping breakfast, which is known to depress glucose levels. A low glucose level may be interpreted by the body as indicating poor environmental conditions and low food availability, the researchers said.
食物的摄入影响到不同性别婴儿发展的原因并没有完全理解。然而，在试管受精研究中显示高浓度的葡萄糖能够刺激男性胚胎并阻止女性胚胎。男性胚胎在限制食物供应，比如不吃早饭(会降低葡萄糖含量)时，它的活性降低了。研究人员提到，低的血糖水平可能被人体解释为贫穷的环境并且缺乏食品。
The findings are based on a study of 740 first-time pregnant mothers in Britain who didn't know the sex of their fetus. They provided records of their eating habits before and during the early stages of pregnancy, and researchers analyzed the data based on estimated calorie intake at the time of conception. Among women who ate the most, 56 percent had sons, compared with 45 percent among women who ate the least. As well as consuming more calories, women who had sons were more likely to have eaten a higher quantity and wider range of nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12. There was also a strong correlation between women eating breakfast cereals and producing sons.
