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Too Much Pregnancy Weight Gain Raises Child’s Obesity Risk
Study Finds Pregnancy Weight Contributes to Childhood Obesity Independently of Genetics
By Katrina Woznicki
WebMD Health News
Reviewed By Laura J. Martin, MD
Aug. 4, 2010 — Women who put on too many pounds during pregnancy are at risk of having a baby with a high birth weight, which may increase the child’s risk for long-term obesity, researchers report.
High birth weight is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) — a measurement of height and weight — later in life. However, researchers were not clear whether weight gain during pregnancy contributed to a child’s risk of obesity independently of genetics.
Is your favorite coffee drink making you fat?
I have been a Starbucks fan for many years. Just seeing the Starbucks logo gets me giddy and ready for a white chocolate mocha on ice. Starbucks is even fun to say! Did you know it was named after a character in Moby Dick? Yes, I love Starbucks and will continue to be a faithful customer. However, the part of me that is concerned for my weight will have to give up some of the fun coffees they serve. So, no need to give up your Starbucks but you do need to be aware of just how much fat and calories can fit into a cup of coffee in order to make a sensible choice.
Here is the rundown of the culprits with the highest amount of fat.
Diet Soda May Raise Risk of Premature Birth
Diet soda has a long history in the United States. In 1952, Kirsch Bottling in Brooklyn, New York debuted a sugar-free ginger ale called No-Cal, targeting it to diabetics.
It wasn’t until 1963 that Coca-Cola entered the diet soda market with Tab.
To keep calories down, diet sodas are sweetened with various sugar substitutes, cyclamates, saccharin, and aspartame. But fears of cancer have spooked many customers away from artificially sweetened drinks.
In 1970, the Food and Drug Administration banned cyclamates in the U.S. on evidence that they caused cancer in lab rats.
And premature birth may be another concern. W
Obese Kids Have “Flatter” Feet
“Flat feet” occur when the arches in a person’s feet are flat; while typically painless, occasionally a collapsed arch can cause ankle and knee discomfort, or worsen natural wear-and-tear in the feet.
All babies have flat feet, but as the child grows up the arches naturally develop.
But new research in the International Journal of Obesity says obese children tend to have flatter feet than kids with healthier weights.
Scientists used ultrasound to analyze the feet of 150 children, ages 6 to 10; half the kids were obese and the other half were thinner.
The researchers found obese children had lower arches and more padding on the soles of their feet. But t