Pregnancy weight gain 'passes on heart risks'

By Jenny Hope for the Daily Mail
Updated: 02:07 EST, 2 June 2010

Research suggests pregnant women should not be 'eating for two', especially if they are overweight or obese to start with (posed by model)

Research suggests pregnant women should not be 'eating for two', especially if they are overweight or obese to start with (posed by model)

Piling on the pounds in pregnancy could put your child at risk of heart disease in later life, claim researchers.

They found women who put on the most weight had less heart-healthy children at the age of nine.

These children were heavier, had bigger waists, more body fat and lower blood levels of 'good' cholesterol.

The findings suggest pregnant women should not be 'eating for two', especially if they are overweight or obese to start with.

Co-author Dr Abigail Fraser, from the Medical Research Council's centre at Bristol University, said: 'Our research show that perhaps even more important than the weight gained in pregnancy is how much a woman weighs before she gets pregnant.

'We know from previous findings that obese women face more complications in pregnancy and giving birth.

'Now it's clear that those who put on the most weight during the nine months risk their children having less good health outcomes several years later.'

The research analysed antenatal records from more than 5,000 mothers taking part in the Bristol-based Children of the 90s survey, which gathered information about their weight gain during pregnancy.

The researchers compared total weight gain with charts developed by the Institute of Medicine in the U.S., which has a recommended range of weight gain according to a woman's pre-pregnancy body mass index.

For example, women of 'normal' weight are recommended to gain no more than 35lb (16 kilos), overweight women no more than 25lb (11.5 kilos) while obese women should put on a maximum of 20lb (nine kilos).

The researchers found that when a woman's weight gain exceeded the limit in her range, the child was bigger and heavier at the age of nine years compared with women who did not top the limit.

On average, the children were 2.2lb (1kg) heavier, had larger waists by just under an inch, two pounds more body fat and slightly higher blood pressure.

Blood measurements also found lower levels of 'good' cholesterol, says a report published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Dr Fraser said it was difficult to give advice to women because there were no detailed UK recommendations about weight gain.

The recommended maximum limit for any pregnancy weight gain in the UK is lower than in the U.S. at ten-12 kilos, around one-and-three-quarter stones, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Co-author Professor Debbie Lawlor said: 'What the ideal weight gain is in pregnancy is a much-debated question and at the moment we don't not know the answer.'

This is because pregnancy weight gain is complex and reflects how the baby is growing and how much weight the mother has put on.


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