Improved efforts are needed to improve the diets of pregnant women and new mothers, experts said yesterday.
Many women in Britain rely on diets of cheap food and this may be short of vital nutrients, according to the Southampton University study.
Poor diet contributes to future diseases such as heart diease, diabetes, obesity, brittle bone disease and even cancer and mental ilness, according to Professor Mark Hanson.
The report, Early Nutrition and Lifelong Health, is due to be published this month by the British Medical Association Board of Science.
The report says too few women breast-feed their babies and many infants are fed “inapproriate” food when they are weaned.
Professor Hanson said: “Society and public health organisations need to pay much greater attention to these issues if the rising epidemic of these diseases is to be prevented.
“Tackling the diseases once children reach adulthood is often too late. By taking steps to improve maternal nutrition we could save many people from a lifetime of ill health.”
He added: “It’s not only women who need to be careful about they quality of their food intake. Prospective fathers should also eat well and steps need to be taken to ensure that young people understand the importance of good nutrition as part of their lifestyle choices.”
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