Dads’ junk-food diet linked to chubbier babies

A Brazilian study published on Saturday in Nutrition Research found that fathers who consume more chips, soda, fast food and other ultra-processed foods before conception tend to have heavier babies with extra fat in the thighs and waist. Scientists tie this to epigenetics, the process by which a person’s diet and other health choices can switch genes on or off without changing their actual dna. Higher birth weight and early fat may raise later risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and reduced motor skills. Mothers who ate the same foods early in pregnancy had the opposite result—smaller, lighter babies. The work shows both parents’ diets matter and gives yet another reason to cut out low-nutrient, high-toxin foods.