A study from Exeter University reveals how we can help to determine the sex of our offspring by what we eat. “If you want a boy, eat a healthy diet with a high calorie intake, including breakfast,” says Fiona Mathews, the lead researcher of the study.

Yet as a nation we are becoming heavier by the day - 56 per cent of British women are classed as overweight or obese. So is it sensible to give all women of childbearing age who want a baby boy carte blanche to pack away the calories?

Gaining those extra pounds may be fine for women whose weight is normal, but not for those who are already too heavy. Doing so could increase their risk of raised blood pressure and pregnancy-related diabetes if they conceive.

Although the researchers say that it would be ethically wrong for women who want a baby girl to go on a low-calorie plan, that is precisely what those women would be tempted to do.

This could reduce their fertility - a rather obvious own goal - and affect nutrient intake at a time when a diet containing adequate vitamins and minerals, essential fats, protein and energy is crucial for development of the foetus, whatever its sex, as well as the mother's health.

This research should be viewed with caution. After all, Victoria Beckham has three bonny boys and she, for one, seems clearly to contradict the study's findings.

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