weight gain

Inadequate pregnancy weight gain puts infants at risk of death

Researchers have said that women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of losing their baby in its first year of life.

The new study by researchers in the University of Maryland School of Public Health (UMD SPH) examined the relationship between gestational weight gain, mothers’ body mass index (BMI) before and during pregnancy, and infant mortality rates.

The study was conducted by Dr. Regina Davis, associate executive director of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Sandra Hofferth, professor, and Dr. Edmond Shenassa, associate professor.

Davis said that their study showed that gaining too little weight during pregnancy is a risk factor for infant mortality for all but the heaviest women, asserting that gaining more weight than recommended was not a risk factor for infant mortality but may be related to subsequent maternal health problems.

Davis, Hofferth, and Shenassa analyzed data collected from 159,244 mothers who gave birth to live, single babies between 2004 and 2008 in order to determine whether there was a link between gestational weight gain (GWG), mothers’ body mass index (BMI), and infant mortality.

Infant mortality risks in the study sample were 3.9 per cent among infants of mothers who gained an inadequate amount of weight during pregnancy, 1.2 per cent among infants of mothers who gained an adequate amount of weight, and .7 per cent among mothers who gained more than the recommended amount.

Mothers’ pre-pregnancy BMI was also a key factor in infant survival. Mothers who were underweight before pregnancy and gained too little weight during pregnancy had six times the normal rate of infant mortality.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Public Health. (ANI)

Source: Yahoo news

Skipping meals can lead to weight gain, diabetes

Are you skipping your meals as part of a quick fix diet plan to lose weight? You are in for trouble. Because skipping meals does more bad than good to your body. Not only is your body deprived of essential nutrients but this also drastically affects the metabolism leading to weight gain and diabetes.

Most people tend to skip breakfast for instant weight loss. But in their desperate attempt they send their metabolism for a toss. Metabolism is the simple process of breaking your food into smaller, usable parts that helps you stay active through the day.  When you skip meals your metabolism has nothing to do. As a result your metabolism is unable to break down portions that you eat later in the day, and the food gets stored as fat leading to weight gain.

Skipping meals also drastically affects blood sugar levels. During metabolism some part of this food that you eat is stored as fat, while other parts enter the bloodstream as sugar, to provide you with energy throughout the day. Not eating at regular intervals can drastically lower your blood sugar levels making you susceptible to developing diabetes later in life.

So eat at the right times, eat healthy and exercise to stay fit.

Source: Zee news

Weight gain during pregnancy linked to child obesity

Piling on the pounds during pregnancy can lead to overweight children and might be contributing to rising obesity rates, research suggests.

 A mother’s weight gain directly affects the obesity risk of her children, a study involving more than 40,000 women and their 91,000 offspring has confirmed.

For each kilogram of weight gained during pregnancy, a child’s body mass index (BMI) at age 12 increased by 0.02 kg/m2, the study found.

Children of mothers who put on the most weight had a BMI that was 0.43 higher, on average, than those whose mothers gained the least weight.

This could account for “several hundred thousand annual cases of pediatric overweight or obesity worldwide”, said the researchers.

It is believed that previous research highlighting the trend could have been swayed by shared influences affecting mother and child, such as socio-economic background and genes.

Therefore the US scientists looked at mothers with two or more children, matching birth records to school reports that included every child’s body mass index (BMI) at the age of 12.

Comparing siblings with the same home environment and distribution of obesity genes helped to isolate the effects of pregnancy weight gain, they said.

Lead researcher Dr David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Centre at Boston Children’s Hospital, said: “From the public health perspective, excessive weight gain during pregnancy may have a potentially significant influence on propagation of the obesity epidemic.

“Pregnancy presents an attractive target for obesity prevention programs because women tend to be particularly motivated to change behavior during this time.”

Writing in the online journal Public Library of Science Medicine, the authors conclude that high pregnancy weight gain increases a child’s risk of obesity by 8 per cent.

BMI measurements are obtained by dividing weight in kilogram by height in meters squared. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to 29.9 overweight and 30 and above obese.

They authors noted: “The 0.43 kg/m2 increase in BMI could represent a significant component of the estimated 2 kg/m2 increase in mean childhood BMI in the US since the 1970s

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How to prevent initial weight gain

Obesity has been a long standing problem for many people but now a new method could help prevent people from getting overweight and obese

All participants in the study were 30-65 years of age and were recruited on the basis that they had twice participated in Vasterbotten Intervention Programme (VIP), which is carried out in Vasterbotten, Sweden, or in the Upstate Health and Wellness Study, in New York State in the US.

The thesis shows that of all VIP-participants who were of normal weight or overweight and took part in the VHU study in 1990-2004, only about one third did not gain weight.

One surprising result was that younger individuals of normal weight, without type-2 diabetes, and without risk factors for cardiovascular disease were those least likely to maintain weight.

Kristina Lindvall, a dietitian and doctoral candidate at the Unit for Epidemiology and Global Health, said that this means that interventions and programs aiming at prevention of overweight and obesity may need to be broadened to also include these groups that are normally regarded as being at low risk for weight gain.

Source: Sify.com

 

5-year-old boy will receive medical marijuana to treat seizures

An Arizona family plans to give medical marijuana to their 5-year-old son to treat his seizures caused by a genetic brain defect.

Zander Welton had his first seizure when he was 9 months old and now has them weekly.

His parents, who live in Mesa, say the cortical dysplasia, coupled with autism, keeps Zander from any real form of communication. He squeals and grunts, and on occasion, will bring them a cup to indicate that he’s thirsty, but otherwise doesn’t use hand gestures or form words.

After hearing about some disabled kids thriving thanks to medical marijuana, Jacob and Jennifer Welton have started the process of making Zander a legal cardholder.

The Weltons hope to start giving their son the marijuana oil drops by next week, using a syringe to pinpoint the exact dosage that works.

“If this finally works for Zander and I finally get to meet who he is, that would be amazing.

Because I don’t know who he is. He’s just a little boy that’s trapped in this craziness,” Jennifer Welton told Phoenix TV station KNXV.

The Weltons have two other sons and Zander is the second oldest. He’s undergone two brain surgeries, a third surgery for shock therapy and has been administered a series of trial and error prescription drugs.

His latest prescription made minor improvements with his seizures, but Jennifer Welton said the medication made her son more combative.

Zander’s mobility also is limited and he often reverts back to crawling after a bad seizure.

For medical marijuana treatments, the Weltons need two doctors to sign off on it. The caregiver also needs to be approved for a medical marijuana caregiver’s card and that person has to live with the recipient.

The couple connected with a naturopathic doctor and started the process to administer legal pot, learning Tuesday that their applications have been approved.

Medical marijuana isn’t covered by insurance.  The state currently picks up the $5,000 a month tab for Zander’s prescriptions.

The CBD oil will cost about $300 a week out-of-pocket. The Weltons have been reaching out to friends and family for donations.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/08/29/5-year-old-boy-will-receive-medical-marijuana-to-treat-seizures/#ixzz2dX9Ck82y