Health & Wellness

Parent Edition | 11th Annual | 2014

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16 diabetes later in life, as those overstressed pancreatic cells fatigue. Moreover, moms who eat too much fat (particularly saturated fat) during pregnancy tend to have babies with a greater percentage of fat cells when they're born (even if they are of normal weight), which they can carry with them later in life. An intrauterine environment oversaturated with fat, sugar, and excess calories may also influence hormones that control appetite regulation in babies' brains, and turn off or on genes that influence mitochondrial efficiency (how food is burned for energy during exercise), says Barbour. Some animal studies also suggest that when a pregnant mom is obese or overweight, she passes a fat-prone "microbiota" or collection of gut bacteria, on to her baby. The good news: Knowledge is power, says Barbour. "It's an exciting time. We are starting to realize the power of the intrauterine environment as a platform for women to do something to improve their babies' long-term health." big mom, big babY, big teenager Two critical factors are weight and fat composition at birth. One 2011 study found that the children of women who gained more than 40 pounds during pregnancy were twice as likely to be oversized at birth, and as much as four times more likely to be overweight at age 5. Another 2013 study followed 1,000 Australian girls from birth to 17 and found that those who were heavier at birth were twice as likely to have a large waist circumference, higher levels of insulin and triglycerides, and lower levels of good cholesterol as teens. Roughly 9.5 percent of babies are now "large for gestational age" (more than 8 pounds 14 ounces). "When babies are born big, these babies have a higher risk of developing not only obesity, but also diabetes and high blood pressure into adulthood," Wilk says. Poor diet, not just weight gain in mom or baby, also fuels problems, Barbour says. Normal-weight moms who eat too much sugar while pregnant can have babies with bigger pancreases that produce too much insulin, resulting in low blood sugar in infancy and possibly "We are learning that the obesity and diabetes epidemic actually begins in utero," says Dr. James Wilk, an internal medicine physician who specializes in high-risk obstetrics at Rose Medical Center. Researchers have long known that overweight pregnant women are more likely to suffer complications, such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-term or prolonged labor, and emergency C-section. But new research suggests the consequences of excess maternal weight gain and "over-nutrition" during pregnancy can extend far beyond delivery day for babies, impacting their body-fat composition, appetite, and metabolism for years to come, says Dr. Linda Barbour, a researcher and professor of obstetrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "We know that the children of women who are overweight or obese have a 2.5- to four-times greater risk of becoming obese as young adults," says Barbour. "We are learning there are a number of different factors that play into that risk." "Dig in! You're eating for two." For decades, well-meaning loved ones have offered up such advice to moms-to-be, urging them to go easy on exercise and load up on calories to grow a "strong, healthy baby." But at a time when half of pregnant women are overweight when they conceive, one in 10 are obese, and 40 percent of those who start out lean gain more than recommended, many physicians are challenging the conventional "more-is-better" wisdom, saying women should keep their weight gain in check, particularly given new knowledge of the potential long-term health effects on their child. Too Many Pregnancy Pounds Could Shape Baby's Health by lisa Marshall CArrYiNg THE wEigHT

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