Do Big McMothers Produce Healthier Babies? How much weight should a woman gain during pregnancy?
According
to one new study, as much as she can. In a review of existing
literature, University of Iowa researchers found low birth weight cited
as a possible risk factor in a host of health problems ranging from
diabetic nephropathy and teen depression in girls, to cognitive
functional impairment and all sorts of cardiovascular trouble
(including erectile dysfunction) in males. Danish researchers
gathered 60 fit and attractive women between the ages of 20 and 26 and
split them into three groups (overweight, underweight, and control).
Women in the overweight group were encouraged to gain as much weight as
possible during their pregnancy while cutting out all unnecessary
physical activity. Researchers provided bi-weekly counseling sessions
at which these women were weighed and encouraged in their weight
gaining efforts. Women expressing concern over their
ballooning figures were told the weight gain was beyond their control
and thoughts of their former figure should be put behind them for the
health of their baby. The overweight group was also supplied with
vouchers for free fast food and debit cards for groceries (to give
researchers a rough idea of household macronutrient breakdown).
700lbs of McSexy Women
in the "underweight" group were encouraged to shoot for the low end of
established healthy weight gain range for pregnancy. (The range is
determined by a number of factors, including height and BMI.) These
women (as well as the control group) were supplied with debit cards for
groceries and bi-weekly counseling, but were not given fast food
vouchers. Results? Women in the overweight group delivered
bigger, healthier babies on average than women in either of the other
groups (though the need for C-sections was increased due to the larger
babies). Following up three years later, researchers found
babies from overweight mothers were still significantly larger than
their peers (95th percentile) and most of the mothers also
remained overweight or obese. Interestingly, researchers interviewing
the women found mothers from the overweight group attributed their
current high BMI to pregnancy and insisted it was beyond their control.
Women in this group also showed lower levels of self-esteem,
marital satisfaction, sexual desire, and an increased risk of health
problems. Researchers concluded massive weight gain may not be healthy
for either mother or baby long term. [Diabetes. 2006 Dec;44(12):1405-7]
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