Diet in early life ‘can affect fertility’

The diet that a person follows early on in their life can go on to affect their fertility when they grow up, a study has suggested.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield found that approximately half of people born into poor families in a year in the 18th century when both rye and barley yields were low would not go on to have any children.

Almost everyone from a poor family born in good harvest years went on to reproduce at least once in their life.

The study was led by Dr Ian Rickard from the department of animal and plant sciences at the university.

"These results have implications for our understanding of early environmental effects on human and animal health and will help shed light on our current understanding of fertility and whether it is influenced by individual or social factors," he said.

Earlier this month, researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine revealed that people who exercise regularly when they are young are less likely to gain weight when they are older.

Did you eat well when you were younger?