May 30, 2008

Researchers at the USDA-Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center studied weight gain in pregnant women. “They wondered if excessive weight gain before or during pregnancy might directly affect the metabolic programming of the developing fetus. In other words, could an overweight pregnant woman be creating an environment inside her uterus that predisposed her child to put on fat more quickly than the offspring of normal-weight mothers, even when both groups of babies ate similar foods and got the same level of exercise?”

“Physicians are doing a poor job informing women how much they should gain during pregnancy,” says [Anna Maria] Siega-Riz. “Most women are not aware of the existing guidelines or don’t understand them.” ((Pat Wingert and Barbara Kantrowitz. May 28, 2008. Double trouble: Why pregnant moms who eat too much may predispose their kids to be overweight. In Newsweek.)

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http://www.newsweek.com/id/139031/page/1

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