fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Epigenetics and Paternal Health › Article

Baby has fat thighs and jelly belly? Dad’s diet may be to blame

Nypost · · 601 words · By Allie Yang
Epigenetics and Paternal Health Infant Health Outcomes Ultra-Processed Foods
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Epigenetics and Paternal Health

Dad’s diet may be to blame See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Dad’s diet may be to blame See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google A dad’s diet can affect a baby’s health before they’re even conceived, a new study from Brazil suggests.

Common ground

Researchers found that the more ultra processed food (think soda and chips, fast food, boxed cereal) a dad eats, the heavier the baby will be at birth, and the more fat in their thighs and suprailiac region just above the hip, commonly known as “love…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/01/health/baby-has-fat-thighs-and-jelly-belly-dads-di…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 60% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
info
Claim 1: “Researchers believe ultra-processed foods feed inflammation, affecting sperm, and changing which genes are turned on or off in the baby.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim is completely irrelevant, returning results for the 'Ultra Music Festival' and 'Ultra Pouches' instead of scientific data on ultra-processed foods and epigenetics.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that takes place in March in Miami, Florida. [1] The festival was founded in 1999 by Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_Music_Festival
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Most customers use ULTRA for clean early morning focus, midday slump alternative to coffee, and a clean alternative to pre-workout at the gym. Do not exceed 4 Pouches per day.
https://takeultra.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The world's premier electronic music festival, boasting elite DJs and unparalleled production located in the beautiful city of Miami.
https://ultramusicfestival.com/
check_circle
Claim 2: “Specifically, researchers looked at the gene IGF-II, which is inherited from the father only. This is responsible fetal growth.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly mention the IGF-II gene, stating it is inherited exclusively from the father and is responsible for fetal growth.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — One of the genes mentioned in the study is IGF-II, which is responsible for fetal growth and is inherited exclusively from the father. "Previous studies have shown that a father's dietary habits can b…
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260728/Fathers-diet-befo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — One gene highlighted in the study, IGF-II , is inherited exclusively from the father and plays a key role in fetal growth. A father's eating habits may change how that gene behaves, researchers said, …
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2026-07-31/…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Specifically, researchers looked at the gene IGF-II, which is inherited from the father only. This is responsible fetal growth. While dads’ consumption of ultra processed foods were associated with hi…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/01/health/baby-has-fat-thighs-and…
check_circle
Claim 3: “A dad’s diet can affect a baby’s health before they’re even conceived, a new study from Brazil suggests.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Newsmax, Time News, and a research summary) confirm a study from Brazil (specifically mentioning University of São Paulo/Ribeirão Preto) suggests paternal diet before conception affects infant health.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "Maternal nutrition and health before, during and after the baby's birth have always received attention, but little is said about the role of the father's diet," said study author Daniela Sartorelli, …
https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/father-diet-nutri…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A study conducted in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, examined the interplay between paternal nutrition and the health outcomes of newborns, emphasizing the importance of a father's dietary habits during the p…
https://sciversum.com/fathers-diet-influences-childrens-heal…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Research published in News Medical reveals that a father's diet before conception can affect his children's health and body composition. A study involving 43.Impact of Paternal Preconception Diet on N…
https://time.news/fathers-preconception-diet-impacts-babys-b…
help
Claim 4: “Ultra processed foods can put people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, depression, dementia and even premature death.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to evaluate this specific list of health risks associated with ultra-processed foods.
check_circle
Claim 5: “When moms ate these foods in early pregnancy (up until the 16th week, it was associated with lower birth weight, shorter height, and smaller head circumference at birth.”
CORROBORATED
One of the web search results specifically states that higher maternal intake of ultra-processed foods early in pregnancy was associated with lower birth weight, shorter birth length, and smaller head circumference.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maternal instinct may refer to: The maternal bond that forms between a mother and her child "Maternal Instinct" (Stargate SG-1), a 2000 episode from the American-Canadian TV series Stargate SG-1 "Mat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_instinct
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A mother, mom, mum, mommy, or mummy is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 6: “Researchers found that the more ultra processed food (think soda and chips, fast food, boxed cereal) a dad eats, the heavier the baby will be at birth, and the more fat in their thighs and suprailiac region just above the hip”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the link between paternal ultra-processed food consumption and higher birth weight. While the specific 'thighs and suprailiac region' detail is mentioned in the claim, the general finding of higher birth weight is corroborated across the provided search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "We believe that the impact of maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods on the baby's birth weight and body measurements may be related to placental development, which depends on many nutrients. …
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-consumption-ultra-foo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — "We believe that the impact of maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods on the baby's birth weight and body measurements may be related to placental development, which depends on many nutrients. …
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260728/Fathers-diet-befo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While greater paternal consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to higher birth weight, higher maternal intake of these foods early in pregnancy was associated with lower birth weight, shorter …
https://www.newsweek.com/fathers-diets-could-shape-their-bab…
info
Claim 7: “Being too heavy can also slow down physical learning milestones, like crawling and walking.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'excessive' and does not provide any medical or scientific data regarding physical learning milestones.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · excessive, immoderate, inordinate, extravagant, exorbitant, extreme mean going beyond a normal limit. excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excessive
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Excessive exercise can sometimes cause health problems. Any more pudding would simply be excessive.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/excessiv…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Some common synonyms of excessive are exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, immoderate, and inordinate. While all these words mean "going beyond a normal limit," excessive implies an amount o…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excessive
check_circle
Claim 8: “A previous study showed overweight dads actually had babies who weighed less.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web results explicitly state that a previous study by the same team observed that overweight fathers tended to have babies with lower birth weights.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In a previous study, the same team of researchers observed that overweight fathers tended to have babies with lower birth weights. However, by specifically analyzing diet quality, they demonstrated th…
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-consumption-ultra-foo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — New research shows fathers’ pre-conception weight can affect their baby’s weight – with implications for the baby’s health.“This aligns with research indicating that paternal conditions may contribute…
https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/06/21/fathers-weight-b…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Maternal obesity can contribute to larger babies and increase the child’s risk of developing breast cancer. Although research tends to focus on the role maternal overweight has on the children’s healt…
https://dreddymd.com/2019/03/13/overweight-fathers-may-epige…
check_circle
Claim 9: “Babies born heavy or light have an increased risk of death, but also are more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases later in life like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.”
CORROBORATED
Evidence from UCLA and other health-related search results confirms that low birth weight is associated with long-term risks of diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The infant is used to seeing so much nutrition coming from the mother. These children are ever-hungry; they are born hypersensitive to high-calorie foods. Their insulin sensitivity is low, so they are…
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/obesity-poses-serious-heal…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Type 2 diabetes. Some people are at higher risk due to ethnicity, age, living with obesity or overweight. It can sometimes be prevented or stopped with lifestyle changes and treatment.peeing more than…
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Low birth weight is also associated with long-term disease risks including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, intellectual and developmental disabilities, metabolic syndrome and obesity. St…
https://today.usc.edu/stress-air-pollution-and-babies_latina…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.