Can the Sex of a Child Really Be Determined by the Mother's Diet?

It has always been a known as a wives tale that you could somewhat change your diet to determine the sex of your baby. Many thought that they could eat certain foods that would give them a better chance for a girl or boy. Well now there has been a study by British scientists that proves this might be true.

In a recent study, the mother's diet at conception might determine the baby's sex. In this study 740 first time mothers were asked to keep a food journal both before and during the early months of pregnancy. None of the women knew the sex of their babies. According to the study women that consumed more calories were almost 24% more likely to have a boy. They study showed too that a high consumption of breakfast cereal might have contributed to the higher birth rate of boys. "Fifty-six percent of women in the group with the highest energy intake gave birth to boys, compared to 45 percent in the group with the lowest energy consumption" according to JoNel Aleccia.

With all of this being said there are many skeptics because the fact is that the father determines the sex. The mother gives an X chromosome no matter what, but the father can give either an X or a Y. Therefore the father determines the sex. With this being true, the researchers say that even with this the mother's diet may favor the development of one sex. According to research it has been shown that "high-glucose environments in in-vitro fertilization appear to favor male embryos and inhibit female embryos" says Aleccia.

With all of this being said there is a question of ethics. Is it really ethical to try to determine the sex of a baby? In my opinion I think that you should accept the baby and love it the same whether it is a boy or girl. I would be happy with either. You can try to determine and influence the sex, but is that playing God? It is a scary thought to think that women would want to influence the sex of a baby. Would you really love it any less?

I think that with the correlation and the fact that the father still determines the sex, the diet might influence the sex. There really is no proof, just speculation. Apparently this will give hope to many mothers. One suggestion is to just eat healthy. It will ensure the health of the baby and it is more important to have a healthy baby.

JoNel Aleccia, "Mom's Diet May Influence Baby's Sex, Study Says". MSNBC