Increase your changes to conceive a boy!

A breakfast high in calories and with sugar is thought to boost a woman's chances of conceiving a son, according to a study released today.

 

Likewise, a low-energy diet that is low on calories, minerals and nutrients is more likely to yield a daughter, says the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Scieces.

Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter in Britain and colleagues wanted to find out if a woman's diet has an impact on the sex of their babies.

So they asked 740 first-time mothers  to provide detailed records of eating habits before and after they became pregnant.

Fifty-six per cent of the women in the group with the highest energy intake had sons, compared with 45 per cent in the least-well fed cohort.

The odds of a boy also went up sharply "for women who consumed at least one bowl of breakfast cereal daily compared with those who ate less than or equal to one bowl a week", the study reported.

"This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose low calorie diets, the proportion of boys is falling," Mathews said.

So ladies start eating up if you would like to have a son, you have an excuse now!