Obesity during pregnancy harms the health of the mother but also of the unborn child, and can lead to diabetes, miscarriage, and obesity in the unborn baby.
A new study published in the scientific journal Obesity has shown that these risks can be limited, with the help of a motivating nutritional program, allowing a better hygiene of life and less weight gain during pregnancy.
A weight gain of 5 to 10 kg would be sufficient for a pregnant woman obese, compared to 11 to 16 kg for women atBMI normal (between 18 and 25), according to the recommendations of the United States Institute of Medicine.
In order to identify the best method to limit weight gain, researchers from Oregon (United States) called on 114 obese (BMI> 30) pregnant women, half of whom had to participate in an intensive program ( group meetings, weigh-ins, calorific goals, daily exercises…).
The other half of the women only met with a dietitian, and were told what to eat for a healthy diet.
Three kilos less
What then emerged from the study was that the women enrolled in the intensive program gained about 3 kg less than those who did not.
Two weeks after the childbirth, the women who followed the program weighed around 2.7kg less than at the start of the study, while the other group of women had gained weight (around 1kg).
While the number of complications during childbirth was about the same in both groups, a lower percentage of women in the intensive program group had babies that grew too quickly in utero, compared to the other group.
“Most of the interventions to limit the weight gain of obese women during pregnancy failed, but our study shows that with regular monitoring and encouragement, these women can limit their weight gain, enthuses Professor Kim Vesco, co-author of the study. But for this they must seek nutritional support and advice from doctors or dietitians to help them achieve their goal. “
Source:
Efficacy of a group-based dietary intervention for limiting gestational weight gain among obese women: A randomized trial, Obesity, published August 28, 2014.