Lose weight during pregnancy can improve the health of babies born of obese women with gestational diabetes.
Traditionally, doctors did not like to see pregnant women lose weight, even if women are obese. In fact, the 1990 guidelines of the Medicine Institute (IMO) suggest that obese women must earn 15 to 25 pounds over a pregnancy.
However, children born of obese women have increased the risk of neural tube defects, congenital cardiac defects and other serious problems. And most women do not lose all weight they earn during pregnancy - adding to the health risks of women who are already fighting against obesity.This has led some doctors to question whether it can be better for obese women to maintain their weight - or even lose weight - during pregnancy.
One of these doctors is Raul Artic, MD, teacher and president of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at the School of Medicine at the University of Saint Louis. To begin with studying the issue, art and colleagues worked with 96 obese or morbid pregnant women with gestational diabetes.Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy in a woman who had no diabetes before pregnancy; Usually disappears after pregnancy.
Women in the study were allowed to choose a reduced calorie diet alone or a more exercise weight maintenance diet - walking for at least 20 minutes after each meal.
Almost half of women in the exercise group kept their weight or weight loss, while four of five women in group only diet gained weight."Women who keep weight in pregnancy or lose weight - and exercise - have fewer complications than those on diets," says WebMD. "We definitely see these women deliver normal size babies, which means that this plays a role in fewer complications."
Does this cause it safe for obese women to lose weight during pregnancy?No, says J. Christopher Glantz, MH, MPH, obstetric professor and gynecology at the University of Rochester, NY He notes that the study of Artal was very small and very limited in the scope to apply to all obese women during Pregnancy.
Procedures For Weight Loss - Can Pregnancy Weight Loss Be Good?
But the study suggests that the dogma weight gain "during pregnancy is always good" should be re-examined, says Glantz, which was not involved in the study by Artal.
"My own experience is that babies do well if obese women earn zero pounds or 15 pounds that IOM recommended," says Glantz. "For women in higher obesity categories, it is not a problem, even if they lose weight."artal emphasizes the importance of exercise during pregnancy - particularly for obese women.
"We know that exercise in pregnancy is safe for everyone," says Artal. "When we talk about exercise, we talk about just walking - a safe form of exercise. If obese, pregnant women can get involved in walking at a moderate rhythm, it's probably more beneficial. And keeping a low calorie diet is beneficial."
The bottom line, says Artal, is that we must all overcome the idea that pregnancy is a moment for inactivity and eating too much.
"The message should be that pregnancy is not a state of confinement - and you should not eat for two," he says.
articles and colleagues report their findings in the June issue of applied physiology, nutrition and metabolism.
