Obesity during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in the child

Increases the weight of mothers to newborn children?
Obesity and obesity are on the rise worldwide, leading to more and more health problems in affected people. Researchers now found that obesity in pregnant women leads to an increased likelihood of birth defects in their babies.

The researchers of the Karolinska Institute found in their study that obesity of expectant mothers leads to serious birth defects in their babies. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Obesity and obesity during pregnancy have a negative effect on the health of infants and lead to an increased likelihood of birth defects. (Photo: Kletr / fotolia.com)

What health problems can arise?
In today's world, more and more people are having problems with their weight. Obesity and obesity are therefore widespread in many countries. The increased weight leads not only to the affected people to health problems, even the infants of obese women are adversely affected, the experts explain. Obesity in the mothers increases the risk of infants for congenital heart defects, digestive system abnormalities, and abnormalities of the genital organs or limbs.

Physicians analyze data from more than 1.2 million participants
For their study, the researchers looked at the data from more than 1.2 million live births in Sweden between 2001 and 2014. They found some convincing evidence for the link between childhood obesity and birth defects.

A causal connection could be established
While the increased risk for slightly overweight women was still very low, the progressive increase in risk as the overweight increased, a causal link, the researchers say. Regarding the risk of child birth defects, it is better for women to have a normal weight rather than being overweight or even obese, adds author and epidemiologist Martin Neovius. In general, more efforts should be made to encourage women of reproductive age to lead a healthy lifestyle. So they could maintain or reach normal body weight before pregnancy, says the expert.

For many obese people it is difficult to lose weight
The sliding scale of risk suggests that even weight reduction from severe obesity to milder obesity can lead to health benefits. However, it is not easy for a person to get from a BMI of 42 to a normal weight, explains author Martin Neovius.

How much was the risk increased by overweight and obesity?
It soon became clear that a total of 43,550 babies (3.5 percent of all births) had major congenital malformations. For mothers in a normal weight range, the risk for deficiencies was 3.4 percent. In overweight mothers, the risk was 3.5 percent, in obese mothers, the risk was already at 3.8 percent. For higher categories of obesity, the risk even increased to 4.7 percent, say the scientists.

What is the body mass index?
The categories were based on the so-called body mass index (BMI), which reflects the ratio of body weight to body height. This defines a healthy weight at a BMI hiss of 18.5 and 24, obesity at a BMI of 25 to 29, and obesity at a BMI of 30 or more.

Why does the maternal weight affect the fetus??
The current investigation shows a causal relationship between an increased risk of birth defects in infants and an increased weight of the mother, say the medical profession. The scientists are still trying to understand exactly how the maternal weight affects the fetus. Altered hormone levels, higher levels of inflammation, and less efficient delivery of nutrients across the placenta may play a role, explain the authors of the study.

There are more and more people with obesity and obesity
The increased risk of birth defects was just one of many additional risk factors in the pregnancy of overweight women. Severe obesity leads to an increased risk of many negative effects during pregnancy. Obesity is considered to be a growing health problem worldwide, with a massive increase in the number of women over the age of 18 years and over, with a BMI of more than 35 in recent years. The value doubled from 50 million to 100 million people between the year 2000 and 2010, explain the authors. (As)