Fat mothers, fatter babies

Children whose mothers gain too much weight during pregnancy are more likely to be overweight teenagers. The standard guidelines suggest that weight gain during pregnancy for normal weight women should be between 10 and 15 kg. Women who were overweight before being pregnant are advised to gain a little less - 6 to 12 kg - while underweight women should put on 12 to 20 kg. Some studies in the past have linked excessive weight gain during pregnancy to a higher risk of obesity in childhood. To further examine the relationship between mother's weight during pregnancy and its effect on child's weight gain during adolescence, researchers from America identified 11,994 children aged between 9 and 14 years. Out of these, around 1865 children were obese. The researchers took into consideration mothers' pre-pregnancy weight and the weight gained during pregnancy. It was found that when mothers exceeded the guidelines for pregnancy weight gain, their children's weight also tended to rise. Compared with their peers whose mothers followed the guidelines, those whose mothers gained too much weight were 42 percent more likely to be obese by the time they were 9-to-14 years old. The risk of obesity among children was independent of other factors including mothers' pre-pregnancy weight, family income and parents' education. The findings indicate that excess pregnancy weight may affect fetal development and may make children more susceptible to excessive weight gain and add to the already existing evidence that fetal environment may have a sustained effect on children's weight regulation.

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