Childhood obesity figures have multiplied by 10 in recent years. The prevention of this problem should begin during pregnancy or even earlier, taking into account that women with obesity often give birth to babies with too much fat and at greater risk of being obese during childhood and adolescence, and to develop diabetes Type 2, among other health problems.
This is explained by the researchers of the DALI study (Vitamin D and Lifestyle Intervention for Gestational Diabetes Prevention), which has shown that Babies of overweight pregnant women who spend less time sitting have less fat at birth than those of women who do not move.
An international study
DALI, led in Spain by Rosa Corcoy, group leader of the CIBER-BBN (Center for Biomedical Research in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Network) and director of the Diabetes Unit at Sant Pau Hospital (Barcelona), addresses two clinical trials in eleven different European countries to find strategies for prevention of gestational diabetes.
In one of these trials on lifestyle modification, pregnant women with obesity participants joined a program to improve physical activity, healthy eating or a combination of both. The results were compared with a control group.
In Babies and more Check your weight and keep obesity at bay: don't expect to be pregnant As explained by Dr. Corcoy:
“When measuring the subcutaneous fat (skinfold) of the babies of the women who participated in the study a few hours after birth we saw that the participants who received advice on both physical activity and healthy eating managed to gain less weight, increase their physical activity , improve their eating habits and also reduce the time they spent sitting. But the most important thing is that their babies had less fat at birth than the babies of women who did not participate in the lifestyle intervention. ”
Once the trial was completed, a more detailed analysis was made of what aspect of lifestyle was related to the reduction of the fatness of babies and no relationship was found with the increase in physical activity or lower weight gain, but with the reduction of the time that the mothers spent sitting.
In Babies and more How the weight gain in pregnancy is distributed"Thanks to this study we were able to show that obese women can reduce the fat of their babies by changing their lifestyle during pregnancy", concludes the researcher. And it points to that Healthy lifestyle recommendations for obese pregnant women should include the importance of reducing the time they spend sitting.
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