Could diet define gender?

If you are trying to fall pregnant and want a bouncing baby boy, it could be in your best interests not to skip breakfast and to eat a variety of nutritious foods.

This is according to the universities of Exeter and Oxford, whose research into the correlation between eating habits and infant sex was released today.

The study involved 740 expectant mothers who were pregnant with their first child. All participants were asked to provide a diary of their eating habits before conception and during the early stages of their pregnancy.

It was discovered that the women who consumed higher levels of energy, potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12 were more likely to give birth to a son.

Interestingly, this could mean that there is some truth in the old wives tale which tells mothers to eat bananas if they want to have a boy.

The study also found that women who ate breakfast were more likely to have sons.

"Our findings are particularly interesting given the recent debates about whether to allow parents to select offspring sex. Here we have evidence of a natural mechanism that means that women appear to be already controlling the sex of their offspring by their diet," said Dr Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter.

The news may be interesting for David Beckham, whose father, Ted, told Now magazine that the footballer is "desperate" for a baby girl.