Pregnancy Weight Gain Linked to Childhood Obesity

During pregnancy, most women gain a bit weight, and that’s a usual thing. However, the scientists have found out recently that too much weight gain during this period increases the risk of childhood obesity.

According to the standards of the British Institute of Health, it is acceptable for the women with normal weight to gain 11-15 kg during pregnancy, plump women can gain 6-9 kg, and considerably overweight women should not gain more than 5-9 kilos. If one goes beyond these limits, it is likely to harm the baby and create an additional risk factor.

The study involved 56 women, and its results were presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston. 31 women gained weight within the given norm, and 25 women exceeded the expected weight gain rate. None of them had gestational diabetes.

Within 48 hours after birth, the scientists studied the structure of the babies’ adipose tissue, using “a new, more accurate technique”, as the report goes.

It was found that the total weight of the adipose tissue was 495 g in the babies, born to the women who exceeded the given rate, and those whose mothers were able to remain in the normal weight range had only 393 g of the adipose tissue, according to MSN.

The researchers emphasized that the link between the mother’s weight gain and the baby’s adipose tissue had been observed by them much earlier. They noted that 70% of obese women exceeded the standards, while only 31% of the women with normal weight suffered from this problem.

According to pediatrician and one of the study participants Jami Josephson, too much weight gain during pregnancy, regardless of the weight before conception, is one of the reasons for childhood obesity. Still, the scientists need more research to find out how the amount of adipose tissue at birth influences the child’s weight in the future.