Category: Pregnancy
Overweight mothers likely to have fat babies
Researchers have found that one of the main reasons for childhood obesity is overweight mothers. In a study that was led by Indian born researchers Neena Modi, it was found that some babies have fat built-up in their abdomen that is similar to fat built-up of a 50 year old. Researchers have also found that 33 percent of the babies have more fat built-up than expected.
For the study, Neena and her team took a sample of 105 babies. Of the 105 babies 51 were girls and the remaining were boys. All the babies chosen had more than normal fat in their abdomen. Researchers have found that women who are overweight during pregnancy had higher chances of having babies that have high fat levels especially in their abdomen.
Neena added that she was surprised to detect direct correlation between the weight of the mother and BMI of the baby. She further added that her findings will help in understanding the effect of mothers’ metabolism on the baby.
The study also proves the effect of the surroundings on the baby when it is in the womb. It also helps in understanding the long-term impact of the surrounding on the baby.
According to health experts, new born babes usually have about 700 grams of adipose tissues. However, for every one unit increase of BMI of the baby the adipose tissues can increase by 7 grams which can have an adverse impact on the liver.
Low-fat yoghurt can increase the risk of asthma in babies
In a recent study at Harvard School of Public Health it was found that intake of low-fat yoghurt can trigger the risk of hay fever and asthma in their offspring. The study found that women who ate low-fat yoghurt with fruit at least once daily were 60 percent more likely to have kids that developed asthma by age of seven when compared to women who did not eat low-fat yoghurt.
According to Ekaterina Maslova, the led researcher of the study said that this was the first study to establish a link between yoghurt and the risk of asthma in kids. Researchers also found that intake of milk did not increase the risk of asthma in children. On the contrary, drink milk can protect kids from hay fever and asthma.
Maslova and his team have been working with the data available at the Centre for Foetal Programming at Statens Serum institute. Researchers also studied the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma by using questionnaires and registries in the Danish National Birth Cohort.
After studying the effect of low-fat yoghurt on pregnant women, researchers are studying the affect of low-fat yoghurt on normal human beings. The researchers are planning to preset their report at the Annual Congress of European Respiratory Society to be held in Amsterdam on 25th September.