Poor dietary habits can impact gut microbiomes and DNA that can be passed onto children, a new research suggests.

Researchers studied the effects of Western diets and lifestyle and found that excessive consumption of salty and sugary food can harm the immune system. The team also noted that poor dietary choices get "encoded" in the DNA and are passed on to the gut microbiome. This means that it can permanently change the balance of bacteria in the bodies. There are high chances that it could be passed on to children.

"Our bodies are a kind of mini-ecosystem, and anything that disturbs our bacteria can alter our health in profound ways," said Dr Ian Myles, lead study author and physician at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reports Time. 

The team also noted that processed and fast food open up a plethora of health problems such as increased inflammation, chances of cancer , allergic and auto-inflammatory disease and  reduced control of infections. Myles advises people to follow a healthy life in order to avoid such problems.

"Things that most people know-but do not feel confident in their ability to accomplish right now: eliminate processed sugars, eliminating homogenized fats," he said. "I always tell people there's a big difference between fat in a piece of fish or meat, and eating fat as a part of processed foods."

A past research found that the "gut flora" in the stomach adapts depending on your diet. The bacteria in our gut are extremely responsive to diet changes, the researchers found.

A recent research showed that following a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of obesity in children.

The study was published in Nutrition Journal.