For prospective mothers
Beware the fat toddlers (booga booga) or not.
Lately I have been perusing the scientific underpinnings of the "obesity epidemic," and the ability, or lack thereof, of the even the science community to address this topic without bias.
The following are two articles in Junkfood Science (which rocks, BTW) which consider some (not super recent) research on the weight of pregnant women, newborns and children and also how that research was interpreted and disseminated. I recommend these to any woman considering having a baby. If you only have time to read one, read the second one.
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/baby-paradox.html
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/priority-healthy-children.html
*** Update
The former links focused more on the health effects of maternal weight and weight gain on children's health and weight for NON-premature children. The following focuses on the mother's weight and the connection to rates of premature birth. I recall that when I was pregnant, I was told to try to gain the "normal" amount of weight (which I didn't do anyway) but there were some comments that led me to believe that if I had been heavier going into it, I would have been directed to gain less. But the research stated here suggests that even if I HAD been overweight to begin with, I still would have been better off gaining the "normal" amount of weight. I also find the comments on the effects of after pregancy weight loss and its effects on later pregnancies to be very interesting in light of the high pressure there is to lose that pregnancy weight ASAP or risk permanent obesity (booga booga).
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/01/obesity-paradox-17-fat-women-and-risks.html
Lately I have been perusing the scientific underpinnings of the "obesity epidemic," and the ability, or lack thereof, of the even the science community to address this topic without bias.
The following are two articles in Junkfood Science (which rocks, BTW) which consider some (not super recent) research on the weight of pregnant women, newborns and children and also how that research was interpreted and disseminated. I recommend these to any woman considering having a baby. If you only have time to read one, read the second one.
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/baby-paradox.html
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/priority-healthy-children.html
*** Update
The former links focused more on the health effects of maternal weight and weight gain on children's health and weight for NON-premature children. The following focuses on the mother's weight and the connection to rates of premature birth. I recall that when I was pregnant, I was told to try to gain the "normal" amount of weight (which I didn't do anyway) but there were some comments that led me to believe that if I had been heavier going into it, I would have been directed to gain less. But the research stated here suggests that even if I HAD been overweight to begin with, I still would have been better off gaining the "normal" amount of weight. I also find the comments on the effects of after pregancy weight loss and its effects on later pregnancies to be very interesting in light of the high pressure there is to lose that pregnancy weight ASAP or risk permanent obesity (booga booga).
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/01/obesity-paradox-17-fat-women-and-risks.html