Babies of obese mothers are at a higher risk of premature birth, serious illness and death

[mountaineer]

Daily Mail (U.K.) reports:

Babies’ lives are being put at risk by the soaring number of overweight women in Britain, experts are warning. Babies born to overweight women are more likely to be born prematurely, increasing the likelihood of serious illness and even death.

A study of 1.5 million births in Sweden between 1992 and 2010 found the danger of early delivery rose proportionally with the mother’s weight. Women with the highest BMI (body mass index) also had the highest statistical risk of giving birth prematurely, and especially extremely early.

Compared to women of normal size, an extremely premature birth was 25 per cent more likely for overweight women and 60 per cent more likely for obese mothers. For severely obese (BMI 35-39.9) or extremely obese (BMI 40 or more) women, the corresponding risk was doubled and tripled respectively. Risks of very and moderately preterm deliveries also increased with BMI.

The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are alarming with the obesity levels in Britain fast approaching those in the U.S. Three in five adults are overweight or obese possibly explaining the 40,000 babies a year born prematurely, the highest in Europe.

Professor Sven Cnattingius, of the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, said: ‘For the individual woman who is overweight or obese, the risk of an extremely preterm delivery is still small. However, these findings are important from a population perspective. Preterm infants and, above all, extremely preterm infants account for a substantial fraction of infant mortality and morbidity in high income countries.’

In the study, his researchers calculated the women’s BMI (weight in kilograms divided by height in square metres) from information given at their first visit to prenatal care. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 was assessed as normal, 25 to 29.9 as overweight, and 30 or more as obese.

Dr Cnattingius said a third of all pregnant women in Sweden are either overweight or obese, and this impacts the number of premature babies. He said: ‘Overweight and obesity also increase the risk of maternal pregnancy complications including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and Caesarean delivery.’

In Sweden there are about 100,000 births a year of which around 250 are extremely early, in that they are delivered more than 12 weeks before the expected date. Another 500 are very premature (8 to 12 weeks too early), and 4,500 moderately so (4 to 8 weeks).

The study also found the risk was substantially explained by obesity-related diseases such as the severe pregnancy complication preeclampsia that endangers the health of both mother and child.

[truth_seeker]

"The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are alarming with the obesity levels in Britain fast approaching those in the U.S. Three in five adults are overweight or obese possibly explaining the 40,000 babies a year born prematurely, the highest in Europe."

IOW Americans are more fat, than all the countries of Europe.  That is why I continue to say....

Fat America -- unhealthy. disgusting. unappealing.  slovenly.  disrespectful of God's gift of one's life.

All in all, America's performance in this regard is pretty low information. Cuz the entire truth is these overweight people have known about foods' contents for decades, and the benefits of exercize, but just ignore it out of laziness. 

[Rapunzel]

Should have seen the family waiting for their car yesterday at the Chevy Dealer... and they were driving a compact.  Mom, dad and grown daughter were all well over 350 pounds EACH.....

[Oceander]

Be careful what you wish for; this will play quite nicely into the hands of the public health nazis like NYC mayor Bloomberg.

[jmyrlefuller]

If anything, this would seem to disprove the notion that America's relatively poor standing among developed countries in regard to life expectancy and infant mortality has anything to do with our health care system. We're just eating too much and moving too little (and by moving, I do not mean simply contrived exercises).

Again, I think EBT is a major cause of this.

[Oceander]

If anything, this would seem to disprove the notion that America's relatively poor standing among developed countries in regard to life expectancy and infant mortality has anything to do with our health care system. We're just eating too much and moving too little (and by moving, I do not mean simply contrived exercises).

Again, I think EBT is a major cause of this.

Actually, most of that poor standing is based on the fact that we don't have a universal health care system - i.e., the US gets a bad grade for not having a free-loaders' system, without regard to the actual outcomes of the system we do have.