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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.