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Mothers-to-be who consume lots of artificial sweeteners may be more likely to have children who end up obese, a study suggests.
Canadian researchers found pregnant rats fed stevia or aspartame – two of the most common sweeteners – had pups that were fatter.
But experts believe the findings may also apply to expectant mothers, given an array of other studies have found similar in humans.
Professor Raylene Reimer, of the University of Calgary, said: 'A mother's diet during pregnancy is very important for the short- and long-term health of their infants.
'Following diet guidelines and staying within recommended weight gain guidelines for pregnancy are key steps to take.'
While the researchers did not test individual soft drinks, Diet Coke contains aspartame, one of the artificial sweeteners tested in the study
