Vitamin D deficiency or being overweight before pregnancy can have serious consequences for the child. These two factors would increase the risk of childhood obesity.
Obesity, smoking, vitamin D deficiency. These are three things that weigh on the scales even before conception. A British team has identified several risk factors for childhood obesity. In L’American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they plead in favor of early intervention… as soon as a woman formulates a pregnancy plan.
Certain maternal health indicators can influence a child’s risk of overweight. A team from the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) recruited 991 women, monitored their pregnancy and the health of their child. Five risk factors have been identified: the duration of breastfeeding (less than a month), the mother’s obesity, her weight gain during gestation, her smoking and her blood level of vitamin D. All have an influence. on the health of the child. For example, vitamin D deficiency can lead to cavities. But above all, too little or too much weight gain by the mother during pregnancy increases the risk of obesity of the baby.
Intervene before conception
The more these risk factors accumulate, the greater the likelihood that the child will be overweight. At the age of 4, children whose mothers had 4 or 5 factors were 4 times more at risk of obesity than those with none. Their fat mass was 19% higher.
The difference is even more obvious at the age of 6 years: the fat mass of children whose mothers accumulated risk factors is increased by 47%, and their risk of obesity is increased by 4.6 times. This regardless of children’s diet and physical activity.
“Even though the importance of early prevention is recognized, the focus is mostly on school-aged children. Our results suggest that interventions that are supposed to prevent obesity need to be started earlier, even before conception, and that the key may be to maintain a healthy weight and not smoke at this time ”, comments Prof. Sian Robinson, who conducted the study. Health professionals also recommend that any woman who is considering conceiving to consult a doctor. This makes it possible to carry out a health check… and to put all the indicators back to green in order to reduce the risks.
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