Excess maternal weight before and during pregnancy can result in larger babies

ScienceDaily (May 22, 2012) — Excess weight in pregnant women, both before pregnancy and gained during pregnancy, is the main predictor of whether mothers will have larger than average babies, which can result in increased risk of cesarean section or trauma during delivery, states a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

See Also:Health & MedicinePregnancy and ChildbirthDiet and Weight LossInfant's HealthDiabetesFitnessGynecologyReferenceBirth weightBlood sugarDiabetic dietStillbirth

Women with diabetes in pregnancy or gestational diabetes are at increased risk of having a large-for-gestational-age baby. Called macrosomia, it is defined as an infant whose weight is above the 90th percentile of Canadian fetal growth curves, or more than 4 kg. Current clinical practice focuses on managing glucose levels in women with these conditions to reduce the risk of having larger babies. Recent studies have shown a link between maternal glucose levels in women without gestational diabetes and the risk of having a larger baby.

Proposed new criteria suggest lowering the glucose levels for diagnosing gestational diabetes to help identify women who might be at risk of having a large-for-gestational-age baby.

To determine the effects of a variety of maternal factors such as obesity, glucose levels and lipid levels on infant birth weight, researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), University of Toronto, and St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, conducted a study with 472 women -- 368 with normal glucose tolerance and 104 with impaired glucose tolerance.

They found that excess weight before pregnancy and the amount of weight gain during pregnancy were the strongest metabolic predictors of whether a woman would have a large-for-gestational-age baby. Elevated glucose levels had a relatively modest impact as did lipid levels.

"Gestational impaired glucose tolerance was not a significant independent predictor of having a large-for-gestational-age infant," writes Dr. Ravi Retnakaran, Mount Sinai Hospital, with coauthors. "Similarly, none of the lipid measures was independently associated with birth weight or large-for-gestational-age infant. These data suggest that maternal weight and its associated circulating factors have a greater impact on infant birth weight than do mild glucose intolerance and lipid levels in women without gestational diabetes."

"In the context of the current obesity epidemic, these data support the importance of targeting healthy body weight in young women as a strategy for reducing the risk of excessive fetal growth and infant macrosomia," conclude the authors. "Furthermore, these findings suggest that, in the care of overweight or obese women in pregnancy, closer monitoring of weight gain during pregnancy may be warranted."

In a related commentary, Dr. Edmond Ryan, University of Alberta, writes, "Recently proposed criteria

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Excess Fat Outside Your Arteries Causes Coronary Artery Disease

Over the past four years I have extensively reported on the rather stunning finding that fat accumulating on the outside of your arteries is a primary cause, if not the primary cause, of coronary artery disease.  In a clever series of experiments, researchers induced this type of fat to form around the arteries of mice.  Then they transplanted the problematic fat around the carotid arteries of healthy mice, at which point the healthy mice quickly developed coronary artery disease.

I call this “fat in all the wrong places.”  You actually have a layer of perivascular fat around your arteries that is part of the structure and insulation for your arteries.  When you gain weight your body tries to store the extra calories in your white adipose tissue.  After a while your white adipose tissue can’t tolerate the extent of the abuse. Then your liver starts storing excess fat in direct proportion to your waistline expanding. Once that defense mechanism is overloaded fat begins to accumulate in all the wrong places, marbleizing your muscles, kidneys, pancreas, heart, and many other places.  One such place an unfortunate swelling in size occurs is in the perivascular fat around your arteries.  This now swollen fat sends massive inflammatory signals into your arteries causing them to shrink and build up plaque.

You can read more about this in my earlier articles: A Whole New Meaning of Fatty Arteries, Circulatory Health and Baby Fat Cells, How Your Heart Gets Fat, Fat Outside Your Arteries is the Major Cause of Cardiovascular Disease, and Fat Build Up On the Outside of the Heart Predicts Problems in Arteries.

The good news is that as you engage the process of weight loss your body tends to clear out fat from the wrong places first, including the fat around your arteries.  This is one reason why the risk for heart disease drops when people lose 20 percent of the fat they need to lose – and the risk stays low as long as people consistently keep heading in the right direction. 

It doesn’t take rocket science to know whether or not you have a problem.  Cardio imaging scans have demonstrated that if the measurement of your waistline (in inches) multiplied by two is greater than your height (in inches) then you are accumulating fat in all the wrong places.  The greater the size of your waistline, the larger the problem.  The more years you have been in that condition, the greater the amount of problematic fat you accumulate, along with the risk for clogging your arteries.  This is one reason why public health officials are sounding alarm bells about weight problems in our younger people – it is a methodical path to disease at an early age.

In addition to losing weight, nutrients that aid in the metabolism of fat while protecting your body from inflammation coming out of fat are helpful tools to consider.  Top nutrient support includes DHA Docosahexaenoic acid Essential omega 3 fatty acid integral to the health of all cell membranes, nerve and brain function. Must be gotten through the diet via cold water oceanic fish or some very limited plant sources or taken as a supplement., tocotrienol Specialized form of vitamin E. Powerful antioxidant showing positive benefits for cholesterol, cardiovascular, neurological health and cancer risk reduction. E, quercetin, pantethine, acetyl-l-carnitine, and Q10 – there are many others.

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Cissus Quadrangularis May Help Lower Excess Stomach Acid

Cissus quadrangularis is a traditional ayurvedic System of traditional medicine native to India and South Asia. It is considered a form of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) compared to traditional Western medicine. Uses many different herbs, massage, yoga and moderation of various lifestyle components to keep things in balance for treatment of health conditions. Deepak Chopra is a very popular author and proponent of Aruvedic Medicine. herb best known for its bone healing and rejuvenating properties.  It has many additional folk uses, including the treatment of various digestive complaints and ulcers.  A previous study showed a variety of anti-ulcer properties and now a new study shows that cissus quadrangularis Nutrient found in woody vines from the grape family. It has been shown to be beneficial in bone and cartilage health along with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress support. can significantly reduce the excess production of stomach acid on par with Prilosec.

Indigestion requiring some form of symptom management is one of the most common health complaints in America.  Unfortunately, the commonly used proton pump inhibitory drugs like Prilosec are like taking a sledgehammer to an important digestive process.  Side effects are many, including increased risk for fractures, pneumonia, weight gain, and overgrowth of very hostile germ gangs that further complicate the original problem.

Cissus quadrangularis contains a variety of phytonutrients such as quercetin, stillbenes, beta carotene, and other flavonoids Plant compound that is associated with pigmentation. Flavonoids have been shown to modify allergens, viruses, inflammation, and various carcinogens. Found in green tea, citrus, berries, onions, parsley, red wine, dark chocolate, and others..  Such nutrients help your digestive lining in several ways including preventing gastric damage, boosting antioxidant function, reducing inflammation, and preserving the capillary integrity and normal function of your stomach and digestive lining. 

This new study shows that cissus quadrangularis Nutrient found in woody vines from the grape family. It has been shown to be beneficial in bone and cartilage health along with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress support. has the ability to modulate the excessive production of hydrochloric acid by naturally inhibiting the proton pumps that are required to generate hydrochloric acid production. 

I should point out that another common problem that can occur in conjunction with excessive acid is the wearing away of a patch of one’s stomach or digestive lining, referred to as an ulcer.  Such wounds, when actually analyzed, are a cesspool of multiple germs including H. pylori.  Cissus quadrangularis demonstrates the ability to control undesirable bacteria that can be in your digestive tract, consistent with its traditional folk use for ulcers, hemorrhoids, and constipation.

Hypersecretion of stomach acid is an abnormal situation.  Plants that help balance the problem are useful tools.  Cissus quadrangularis offers multiple mechanisms by which it can assist a variety of digestive problems.  Since it has been ingested by humans for thousands of years it is highly preferable to man-made substances that humans have consumed for only a short period of time.  Nutrients seem to come with their own intelligence, helping the body balance a problem of excess by not working in ways that suppress needed stomach acid for general digestion.  While this latter statement was not tested in this current study, it is consistent with clinical observations and the general mechanism of operation of most nutrients.  As an example, antacids are now proven to promote weight gain from excessive acid suppression, whereas cissus quadrangularis Nutrient found in woody vines from the grape family. It has been shown to be beneficial in bone and cartilage health along with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress support. has been proven to help weight loss. And while antacids like Prilosec increase the risk of fracture, cissus quadrangularis Nutrient found in woody vines from the grape family. It has been shown to be beneficial in bone and cartilage health along with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress support. specializes in healing bones.

The bottom line is that cissus quadrangularis Nutrient found in woody vines from the grape family. It has been shown to be beneficial in bone and cartilage health along with lipid metabolism and oxidative stress support. is a safe way to help individuals combat indigestion.  A basic strategy is to follow the Leptin Diet, which often clears up indigestion on its own.  Digestive enzymes can also be helpful, as is taking friendly flora and increasing fiber intake – while getting the sugar, excess alcohol, and junk foods out of your diet. 

It is a fundamental principle of good health to figure out ways to get and keep your digestive system in tip-top working order.  Many extremely adverse health issues, including autoimmune disease, thyroid conditions, heart disease, and many types of cancer actually begin festering and manifesting as annoying digestive symptoms that eventually have systemic side effects.  Ignore the red flags at your own peril.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

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Excess weight in pregnant women can have negative health Implications for offspring in adulthood

ScienceDaily (May 13, 2012) — That overweight during pregnancy can lead to overweight children and adolescents has been known for some time, but new research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in the US indicates that excess weight before and during pregnancy can have long-lasting health consequences for the offspring of such mothers even later in life.

See Also:Health & MedicineDiet and Weight LossObesityPregnancy and ChildbirthTeen HealthFitnessDiseases and ConditionsReferenceBody mass indexOverweightNutrition and pregnancyCellulite

Investigators at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Washington, Seattle, have found a direct correlation between this maternal overweight and higher tendencies in their adult children towards overweight and other life-risking factors, such as high blood pressure and excess sugar and fat levels in the blood.

The research -- the results of which were published recently in the journal Circulation -- was based on analysis of clinical information on 1400 people who were born in Jerusalem between the years of 1974-76. The data provided information, among other things on their birth records, including the weights of their mothers before and during pregnancy and the weight of the child at birth. The researchers further gathered current clinical data on the examined group, all at the age of 32, including their weight, blood pressure and sugar and fat levels in the blood, plus measurements of body mass index (BMI) -- a measure of body fat based on height and weight -- as well as hip width.

.The results of the research showed a clear influence of the overweight of the mothers on the overweight of their children, affecting in turn other risk factors in adulthood. Therefore, it may be concluded that avoiding overweight in adulthood could potentially reduce those other risk factors associated with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy overweight.

Thus, for example, the children of mothers who gained more than 14 kilograms (31 pounds) during pregnancy were measured to have a higher BMI than those who were born to mothers who did not gain more than nine kilos (20 pounds) during pregnancy. In terms of hip measurements, the adult children of overweight pregnant mothers had hip widths nearly ten centimeters more, on average, than those who were born to mothers who were not overweight.

Similar comparisons were made regarding sugar and fat levels in the blood, all indicating that those born to overweight mothers had detrimental characteristics regarding their health and life expectancies as compared to those born to mothers who had not gained excessive weight.

Additional factors could also have an influence on the phenomenon, including analogous genetic traits of the mother and child or environmental influences during pregnancy, and these would be worthy of further investigation, say the researchers.

"We know now that events occurring early in life to fetuses have long-lasting consequences for the health of the adult person," said Dr. Hagit Hochner, the leading researcher on the project.

Added Prof. Orly Manor, who also was involved in the project: "In an age of an 'overweight epidemic' in the world, it is important to know the factors that are involved in leading to overweight and other health risks. This understanding makes it essential that we identify those early windows of opportunity in which we can intervene in order to reduce the risks of chronic illness later in life."

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