Tracing obesity to even before birth

With “curing” the “obesity epidemic” on the forefront of much of today’s health research, this new finding from Berlin published in PLOS ONE suggests that the mother’s lifestyle during pregnancy can have huge implications for the child’s weight throughout life. Specifically, researchers found that mothers’ overweight/obesity, over-nutrition, and lack of exercise may lead to high birthweight. High birthweight in turn carries with it almost double the risk of becoming overweight later in life. (I guess I would skew that data, since I was actually eleven pounds at birth!) Overall though, these findings highlight important ways that expectant mothers can influence the weight of their children.