We all know that genes play a role in determining our height and weight but scientists have now worked out which parent to blame if you are unhappy with how tall you are or how fat you are!
It would appear that fathers determine the height of their child while mothers tend to influence how much body fat they will have. The work is ongoing, but researchers from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital say the initial results are clear - taller dads make longer babies.
How fat the father is does not seem to influence a child's fatness whereas the mother's weight has a major effect on the birth weight of the baby, the team found. This is probably down to the environment in the womb - with overweight mums tending to have higher levels of sugar in their blood.
Research midwife Dr Beatrice Knight stressed both genetic and environmental factors influence a child's growth. Dr. Russel said that the early growth of the baby, both in the womb and in the first few years of life, may be crucial for the development of their health in later life. By identifying the genes involved in this early growth, she hopes to develop a better understanding of how these things are linked.
The Reasearch Group has been studying about 1,000 families, measuring the weight and height of the mums, dads and their babies in their first two years of life.
Dr Knight said: "Obviously one of the biggest influences on a baby's growth is the size of the mother. But we have confirmed that a father's height also has a direct impact on their baby's growth, with taller dads having longer and heavier babies."
November 2006 | 
What? No Daddy?
