PREGNANT WOMEN ARE often told to eat for two – however if they choose do so they may end up developing high blood pressure and weight problems in later life, according to research.

A long-term study by the Bristol University has suggested that overeating during pregnancy could have serious side-effects in later life for both mother and baby.

The study is the latest to add to mounting evidence that ‘eating for two’ is harmful. In the UK, the NHS explicitly warns against women eating more than their recommended energy intake of 1,940 calories each day in the first six months of pregnancy, the Daily Mail reports. In the third trimester, women are advised to consume about 200 extra calories a day.

The Bristol University Study, which monitored 3,877 mothers during pregnancy and again after 16 years, found that women who gained more weight than recommended during pregnancy were more likely to be overweight 16 years later.

Overeating during pregnancy also increased the risk of the baby becoming overweight in later life, the study found.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that more obese women are becoming pregnant over the past 20 years. Now, 15 per cent of all mothers are obese.

Maternal obesity increases the risks of developing pre-eclampsia as well as the dangers associated with childbirth, the Telegraph reports.

The results are to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition later this month.