Women who consumed artificially-sweetened beverages daily during pregnancy were 2.2 times more likely to have an overweight baby when the baby reached one-year compared to women who consumed no artificially sweetened beverages.

“These effects were not explained by maternal [body mass index], diet quality, total energy intake, or other obesity risk factors,” the authors of the study note.

They also noted that, “There were no comparable associations for sugar-sweetened beverages.”

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Women who consumed artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy were 2.2 times as likely to have an infant that was overweight at the age of one-year than women who did not consume artificial sweeteners according to a new study from Canadian researchers.

“These effects were not explained by maternal BMI, diet quality, total energy intake, or other obesity risk factors,” according to the paper.

“There were no comparable associations for sugar-sweetened beverages,” the paper also notes.

“To our knowledge, we provide the first human evidence that maternal consumption of artificial sweeteners during pregnancy may influence infant BMI,” the authors of the study conclude.

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A year after giving birth, women, on average, weigh 11 lbs more than they did before getting pregnant according to a new study, weighing an average of 161.5 lbs before getting pregnant, and 172.6 lbs one year after giving birth.

“Approximately 75% of women were heavier 1 year postpartum than they were prepregnancy, including 47.4% retaining more than 10 lbs and 24.2% more than 20 lbs,” the paper notes.

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Hypothyroidism reduces the number and activity of mitochondria, the energy-producing cells, notes Mark Starr, MD, author of the wonderful book Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic.

Mitochondria make up one-third of the weight of the heart muscle, Dr. Starr notes in this short audio clip from a speech he gave in 2007 at an Orthomolecular Conference.

This appears to the connection as to how hypothyroidism can cause some forms of congestive heart failure where the heart muscle is too weak to pump enough blood to the rest of the body (cardiomyopathy). It's an energy problem.

Dr. Starr's book contains the wonderful "Before" and "After" pictures showing X-rays of enlarge hearts that shrink back to normal size after the patient is given natural desiccated thyroid.

A decrease in mitochondria also appears to be the connection of hypothyroidism to Alzheimer's, which Dr. Starr noted in another audio clip. Again, it's an energy problem. Read the entire article | Email this article

Five-year-old children were 1.8 times more likely to be overweight if their mothers skipped breakfast during pregnancy according to a study from the University of Yamanashi's School of Medicine in Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan. Read the entire article | Email this article

Women who were more likely to feel depressed/anxious or distressed during pregnancy were approximately 33 percent more likely to retain 11 pounds or more of their pregnancy weight gain 1.5 years after giving birth according to a study from Denmark.

Women who reported a high level of distress or depression/anxiety both during pregnancy and in the first 6 months of motherhood were roughly 54 percent more likely to have retained at least 11 pounds of their pregnancy weight gain. Read the entire article | Email this article

Obese women are 22 percent less likely to have their first child by the age of 47 than normal-weight women according to a new study from researchers at the University College London in London, England.

Comment: By 47, a woman can no longer have children.

When just looking at married women, obese women were 13 percent less likely to have their first child, 10 percent less likely to have a second child, 26 percent less likely to have third child, and 35 percent less likely to have a fourth child. Read the entire article | Email this article

Obese men are 16 percent less likely to have their first child by the age of 47 than normal-weight men according to a new study from researchers at the University College London in London, England. Read the entire article | Email this article

Underweight men, that is those with a BMI of less than 18.5, are 12-25 percent less likely to have a first, second, third or fourth child by the age of 47 than normal-weight men according to a new study from researchers at the University College London in London, England. Read the entire article | Email this article

A child's risk of being overweight at the age of 7-years-old increases 3 percent for every 2.2 pounds that a mother gains during pregnancy according to a study from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Children were 48 percent more likely to be overweight at the age of 7 years if their mothers who gained more than the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy.

"Helping pregnant women to meet the recommended weight gain during pregnancy may be an important and novel strategy for preventing pediatric obesity," the researchers concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

Children who were born to mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- were 1.87 more likely to large-birth-weight compared to their older siblings who were born before the mother gained this weight according to a large Swedish study.

“Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs,” the authors of the study concluded.

This is another example of epigenetic factors where what a mother does influences her offspring.
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Mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more during the previous two years -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- between their fist and second pregnancy were 1.8 times more likely to have pre-eclampsia (hypertension and other damaging effects) during pregnancy according to a large Swedish study.

"Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs," the authors of the study concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

Mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more during the previous two years -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- between their fist and second pregnancy were 1.8 times more likely to have gestational hypertension (hypertension during pregnancy) according to a large Swedish study.

"Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs," the authors of the study concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

Mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more during the previous two years -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- between their fist and second pregnancy were 2.1 times more likely to have gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) according to a large Swedish study.

"Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs," the authors of the study concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

Mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more during the previous two years -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- between their fist and second pregnancy were 1.63 times more likely to have a stillbirth according to a large Swedish study.

"Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs," the authors of the study concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

Mothers who had increased their BMI by 3 units or more during the previous two years -- a weight gain of 17 pounds or more for a woman of average height -- between their fist and second pregnancy were 1.3 times more likely to have a caesarean delivery according to a large Swedish study.

"Our results provide robust epidemiological evidence for advocating weight loss in overweight and obese women who are planning to become pregnant and, to prevent weight gain before pregnancy in women with healthy BMIs," the authors of the study concluded. Read the entire article | Email this article

"Men [who successfully got their wives pregnant] had lower [body mass index] BMIs (28.0 vs 31.6) and lower skinfold thickness (24.7 mm vs 34.1 mm) than men [who failed to get their wives pregnant," according to a new study from researchers at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Postpartum depression increases the risk of retaining at least 11 pounds of the weight gained during pregnancy one year after giving birth 2.5-fold according to a study from researchers at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Another study reported that women who reported "depressive symptoms lost less than half as much weight as women without depression".

Postpartum depression is estimated to affect between 10 and 15 percent of women. Read the entire article | Email this article

"For many women, returning to prepregnancy weight is a challenge. Approximately 14–25% of women are at least [11 pounds] heavier one year after delivery," notes a study from researchers at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Identified risk factors include higher pre-pregnancy weight, more weight gained during pregnancy, being black, giving birth to their first child, and behaviors including lack of sleep, low physical activity, high trans fat intake, and frequent television viewing the study notes.
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Children, 6- to 12-years-old, were 27 percent more likely to be overweight if their mother had gained at least 35 pounds during pregnancy according to a study from Portugal. Read the entire article | Email this article

Five-year-old children were 29 percent less likely to be overweight if their mothers slept at least 8 hours per night during pregnancy according to a study from the University of Yamanashi's School of Medicine in Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan. Read the entire article | Email this article

Five-year-old children were 2.2 times more likely to be overweight if their mothers smoked during pregnancy according to a study from the University of Yamanashi's School of Medicine in Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan. Read the entire article | Email this article

Obesity is the cause of 6 percent of cases of infertility in women according to a report from the Government Office for Science in England. Read the entire article | Email this article

Obesity is associated reproductive problems notes the report Storing Up Problems: The Medical Case for a Slimmer Nation by the Royal College of Physicians. Obesity decreases libido, increases impotence, and increases abnormal menstrual periods. Losing weight often reverses these problems and increases fertility. Read the entire article | Email this article

Undernutrition of a pregnant woman seems to increase the risk of obesity, hypertension and diabetes later in life for the child notes the report Storing Up Problems: The Medical Case for a Slimmer Nation by the Royal College of Physicians. They note that this could help to explain why poor people are more likely to be obese in developed countries. Read the entire article | Email this article

A woman's chances of becoming pregnant decreases as her body mass index (BMI) exceeds 29 according to a study from The Netherlands. For every one unit increase in BMI -- which is approximately 4 pounds for a woman of average height -- decreases her chances of becoming pregnant by an additional 4 percent compared to women with a BMI of 21-29. Read the entire article | Email this article

A woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 is 26 percent less likely to become pregnant than a woman with a BMI of 21-29 according to a study from The Netherlands. Every one unit increase in BMI -- approximately 4 pounds for a woman of average height -- decreases her chances of becoming pregnant by an additional 4 percent compared to women with a BMI of 21-29. Read the entire article | Email this article

A woman with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 is 43 percent less likely to become pregnant than a woman with a BMI of 21-29 according to a study from The Netherlands. Every one unit increase in BMI -- approximately 4 pounds for a woman of average height -- decreases her chances of becoming pregnant by an additional 4 percent compared to women with a BMI of 21-29. Read the entire article | Email this article

Pregnant mothers who are overweight are 47 percent more likely to have a stillbirth than normal weight women, while obese women are more than twice as likely (107 percent more likely) according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the entire article | Email this article

Following childbirth, women lost more weight with diet and exercise than diet alone according to a new review paper. Read the entire article | Email this article

Overweight women are 29 percent less likely to get pregnant following in vitro fertilization than normal weight women according to a new study. Read the entire article | Email this article

Women who gain an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy are more likely to gain weight long-term according to a study from Sweden. Read the entire article | Email this article

The prevelance of pre-pregnancy obesity increased from 13 percent in 1992-1993 to 22 percent in 2002-2003 according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the entire article | Email this article

Children were 27 percent more likely to be overweight if their mothers gained 35 pounds or more during pregnancy compared to children of mothers who gained less than 20 pounds according to a new study from researchers at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. Read the entire article | Email this article

Being overweight reduces a woman's ability to become pregnant, especially for the first time, according to a study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health. Read the entire article | Email this article

"Whereas underweight is associated with poor fetal growth and elevated pregnancy loss, overweight is more strongly associated with diseases in pregnancy, pregnancy loss and stillbirth and high birth weight," according to a paper from Michael Davis from the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, South Australia. Read the entire article | Email this article

Women who become obese early in their life appear to have more reproductive difficulties than women who become obese later according to a paper from the University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy. Read the entire article | Email this article

Approximately one-third (6 out of 19, or 32 percent) of obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who were infertile before treatment, became pregnant within six months of taking the anti-diabetes drug metformin (Glucophage) according to a study from Amman, Jordan. Read the entire article | Email this article

The likelihood of a pregnant woman having her child delivered by cesarean section is twice (2.1 times) as great if the woman is overweight (BMI 25-29.9), and three times (3.1 times) as great if she is obese (BMI 30 or more) according to a study from Seattle, Washington. Read the entire article | Email this article

Obesity doubles the chances of a doctor not being able to induce labor in a pregnant women, thus requiring that she have the baby via cesarean delivery according to a new study. Read the entire article | Email this article