Obesity in pregnant
women can put both the mother and the baby at risk due to complications
triggered by their being overweight. In South Auckland, women who are in their
early stages of pregnancy were asked to join a study that will be looking into
healthy nutrition and weight gain during pregnancy. This was the first study on
obesity prevention in New Zealand where, by intervening during pregnancy, can
have a huge effect on the health of the mothers and the babies that they are
carrying.
New Zealand’s First
Professor Lesley McCowan, the head of Obstetrics and Gynecology
in the University of Auckland, as well as the team lead, said that by enhancing
the nutrition of the mother during pregnancy, they hope that they will boost
both the mother’s and the baby’s weight gain. Studies show that babies who were
overweight when they were born, will become large children, and eventually,
large adults. This study aims to break the vicious cycle of obesity in babies.
In this trial, they asked women who were in the first stages of
their pregnancy, and were slightly bigger than the average BMI, to participate
and try two different approaches. The first one was to follow an affordable as
well as sustainable diet while the other takes probiotic capsules that contain
bacteria that can prevent diabetes in pregnancy.
Obesity Intervention is
Needed
Just like the findings in
Auckland, the Robinson Research Institute of University of Adelaide has seen
the need to do an obesity intervention in pregnant women. That being said, they
introduced GRoW or the Metformin for Gestational Restriction of Weight for
women who are in the early stages of their pregnancy. The study aimed to
determine the possible effects of using metformin as a way to reduce pregnancy
weight, and perhaps even improve the outcome of the pregnancy as well.
Half of the participants of
the study were given metformin, and although there was a significant loss to
their weight, it doesn’t eliminate the possibility of birthing a baby with
weight going above 4kg. What’s more, this did not reduce the risk of
gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, or even giving birth through
caesarean.
There are several studies now
that show that dietary as well as lifestyle changes are essential for pregnant
women who are above the recommended weight as it can have a huge impact to
their overall health and the baby that they are carrying as well
Source: insightplus.com.au
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