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Does Mom’s Body Composition Affect Baby’s Body Composition for Life?
By Cindy | October 5, 2007
According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,
British researchers found that women who had a relatively high percentage of body fat or were self-described “slow walkers” tended to have fatter babies.
The article, Mom’s weight, fitness affects newborn’s fatness, was released at Reuters.com on March 16, 2007. The study did not release numbers. I’m curious to know how large of a gap was present for overweight babies. Were they overweight? Did they just weight a few more ounces than other babies? Is a study of 448 women enough to really make a sound conclusion? Since the study was just released, how can they say that overweight women will have children that will be affected for life? I find it hard to believe that the pregnancy will affect the baby’s body composition for life. Genetics and lifestyle choices play a larger role in the child’s development than mom’s weight during pregnancy.
I fully agree that a Mom’s health and fitness levels help ease a pregnancy. A mom that is overweight has potential for higher health risk factors during the pregnancy. Diet definitely affects a baby in the womb since mom is the only source of nutrition. Are her decisions going to affect baby for life? I don’t know. I find that statement to be overly harsh and unsubstantiated. I do know that the family’s lifestyle after birth and the nutritional decisions made as a family is going to directly affect a child’s growth and habits later in life.
This article doesn’t provide the details necessary to back up the strong statement that “studies have linked overly high birth weight to an increased risk of obesity later in life.” I think it’s an extra layer of guilt that a mom does not need to shoulder. For a mom that is overweight and out of shape, the pregnancy is hard enough. To add the idea that she might be damning her child to a life of obesity is absurd without sound and conclusive evidence.
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Topics: Current Events |
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