A.R.S (Agriculture research service) researchers are studying how an expecting mother's weight can affect her baby's chances of becoming obese. Doctor's are now advising mother's to be to be at a healthy weight before they get pregnant and only gain their recommended weight during pregnancy. Funded investigator Kartik Shankar and colleagues could provide new insights into this recommendation.
Shankar is looking into the influences that occur in the womb and possibly the first few months of life may affect the development of the child's ability to regulate his or her weight later in their life. The child's body weight regulating mechanisms may be permanently altered by the maternal signals associated with the mother's own overweight issues. Shankar believes that maternal programming of the unborn child could increase the risk that the child can become overweight and even an obese adult. This can cause a higher risk of obesity related afflictions.
Shankar and his colleagues did a preliminary study years ago and was published in American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. This study has led to a follow up investigation now underway. The study is being done at the A.R.S Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center in Little Rock, Ark., where he is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Shankar's study involved looking at the weight gains among "rat pups" whose fathers were considered lean and whose mother's "dam's" were "lean or overweight" from overfeeding prior to conception and followed during pregnancy. All offspring were at normal weight at birth and at weaning, but, when the weaned offspring were given free access to an unlimited amount of high-fat rations. The offspring of the overweight "dam's" showed a high sensitivity to the high-fat rations. These offspring gained a significant amount of more
weight and more of that weight was fat mass than, did the offspring of lean dams.
This study suggests that exposure to the mother's obesity while in the womb results in the programming of the offspring's metabolism and body-weight-control mechanisms. The dams' obesity alone was sufficient to significantly increase the pups' susceptibility to obesity.
I found this article very interesting. if mothers can control their weight gain throughout the pregnancy their is less of a risk that their child will gain a significant amount of weight once they can eat on their own. I'm sure there are more studies going on about this problem, but I found this interesting and believe that it can open the doorway to decreasing obesity in children.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315125551.htm
Shankar is looking into the influences that occur in the womb and possibly the first few months of life may affect the development of the child's ability to regulate his or her weight later in their life. The child's body weight regulating mechanisms may be permanently altered by the maternal signals associated with the mother's own overweight issues. Shankar believes that maternal programming of the unborn child could increase the risk that the child can become overweight and even an obese adult. This can cause a higher risk of obesity related afflictions.
Shankar and his colleagues did a preliminary study years ago and was published in American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. This study has led to a follow up investigation now underway. The study is being done at the A.R.S Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center in Little Rock, Ark., where he is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Shankar's study involved looking at the weight gains among "rat pups" whose fathers were considered lean and whose mother's "dam's" were "lean or overweight" from overfeeding prior to conception and followed during pregnancy. All offspring were at normal weight at birth and at weaning, but, when the weaned offspring were given free access to an unlimited amount of high-fat rations. The offspring of the overweight "dam's" showed a high sensitivity to the high-fat rations. These offspring gained a significant amount of more
weight and more of that weight was fat mass than, did the offspring of lean dams.
This study suggests that exposure to the mother's obesity while in the womb results in the programming of the offspring's metabolism and body-weight-control mechanisms. The dams' obesity alone was sufficient to significantly increase the pups' susceptibility to obesity.
I found this article very interesting. if mothers can control their weight gain throughout the pregnancy their is less of a risk that their child will gain a significant amount of weight once they can eat on their own. I'm sure there are more studies going on about this problem, but I found this interesting and believe that it can open the doorway to decreasing obesity in children.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315125551.htm
I think all mothers should be in good shape before they become pregnant. It's not fair to their child because their child will more likely become obese as well. I think it's good people are looking into this type of research. Children should not have to have weight issues due to their mother. This was a interesting article.
ReplyDeleteThis article is interesting and also helpful. Obesity is now such a huge issue in America so this information is very good to have for the future.
ReplyDelete