Overweight during pregnancy and long-term risk of obesity
Despite the happiness that is pregnancy, the pregnant woman still has somefears, including gaining too much weight. And this fear is justified by the results of a recent study: gaining too much weight during pregnancy would expose to a risk of obesity in the long term.
The study
Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York in the United States have studied the impact on the health of a pregnant woman in the long term, if she gained too much weight during pregnancy. The results were published in recent days in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition(1). The study was conducted on 302 African-American or Dominican mothers, in an unfavorable socioeconomic situation, whosediet was not healthy, and who were therefore already at risk of overweight or obesity.
The results
Before pregnancy, 5% of these women were underweight, 20% were overweight, 22% were obese, and 53% were of normal build. 64% of the women in the study had gained more weight than the recommended average during pregnancy. 7 years later, 38% of them were obese!
Even more alarming, the researchers observed that women who were not obese before their pregnancy, and who had gained too much weight during it, had a 400% increased risk of experiencing obesity 7 years after giving birth. The study even states that 64% of women gain too much weight during pregnancy.
What is the recommended weight gain during pregnancy?
The High Health Authority recommendsa weight gain of 7 kg during pregnancy, if the Body Mass Index of the woman is less than 30 kg / m² (2). She also recommends regular physical activity during pregnancy, to also reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes.
The recommendation of 7 kg is not to be respected scrupulously. In fact, the calculation is done according to our BMI. Several sites are used to calculate the maximum recommended weight gain during pregnancy. The results range from 18 kg for a woman with a very low BMI (less than 18.5 kg/m²) to 4 kg for an obese woman.
It is best to follow your doctor’s personal recommendations.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.