http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3905947.stm
Obesity a danger to unborn child
quote ********
Obesity posed a big risk to the baby's development
Obesity during pregnancy poses one of the biggest risks to the health
of an unborn child, research has shown.
Spanish doctors found it was one of the most decisive factors in the
development of heart, kidney and urinary tract defects.
Women should be aware of the dangers of being overweight, they say.
The researchers from Barcelona's Hospital de Sant Pau report their
findings, based on 2,060 children, in the journal Diabetologia.
Birth defects
It has long been known that women who are diabetic before pregnancy
have a higher chance of having birth defects that can lead to heart
and kidney problems.
This is linked to the mother having high blood sugar levels at a time
when the embryo's organs are forming.
Babies born to women with a condition called gestational diabetes -
diabetes triggered by pregnancy - are also at risk of birth defects
for the same reason.
The chance of damage is slightly lower because the mothers' blood
sugar levels are usually fairly unaltered.
This is just one of the problems that obesity can have during
pregnancy
Lead researcher Dr Rosa Corcoy
Diabetes and obesity are closely linked.
However, the latest study found the risk of birth defects seemed to
more closely related to a woman's level of obesity, than to the
severity of her diabetes.
Dr Rosa Corcoy and colleagues looked at the relationship between the
mother's blood sugar levels and weight and birth defects in more than
2,000 children born to women with gestational diabetes.
The mother's degree of obesity, measured by body mass index, appeared
to be the main predicting factor for heart defects in the unborn
child.
It was the only factor that predicted whether the baby was likely to
be born with kidney and urinary tract problems.
Previous studies have not shown that obesity can increase the risk of
heart defects in the children of women with diabetes, possibly because
this factor was not studied specifically, said Dr Corcoy.
Energy excess
She said one explanation was that being obese was an indication that
the nutrients required for development were in over-abundant supply.
An excess of glucose and other nutrients has been linked to birth
defects before.
She said the resistance to insulin that occurs in diabetes might also
be important.
"This is just one of the problems that obesity can have during
pregnancy," said Dr Corcoy, from the Universitat Autònoma de
Barcelona.
She recommended women planning to have a family consider their weight,
but added: "It would not be good to lose weight very quickly before
pregnancy because of the negative effects that could also have for
mother and baby."
Amanda Vezey, care advisor for Diabetes UK said: "This is an
interesting piece of research which reinforces the importance of being
a healthy weight.
"We know that obesity is amongst the risk factors which can make you
more likely to have gestational diabetes. This research further
highlights the importance of trying to maintain a healthy weight when
planning to become pregnant."
A spokeswoman from the National Childbirth Trust said: "This study
emphasises the need to address factors that lead to overweight in
young women as not only their own health, but that of their children
could be affected.
"Often the most unhealthy foods have the most promotion. Women need
positive information to make healthy choices for themselves and their
children.
"However, individual women who are pregnant and worried should
remember that the proportion of babies affected is small, and discuss
this with their midwife or doctor," she said.
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This pretty much confirms what i've been saying in this group for
years. Too much refined carbs leads to obesity, diabetes and a myriad
of other health problems. And it is very damaging to babies and
children, in the womb and out of the womb. We are poisoning ourselves
as a species and most of the medical community isn't even aware of it.
TC