Overweight Mothers at Greater Risk for Birth Defects


Obese women more likely to have babies with spina bifida, heart disease.

Hoping to prevent future birth defects, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are urging women who are thinking of starting families to trim the fat from their diets and start exercising more. According to a new CDC study, obese or overweight women are more likely than average-weight women to have an infant with birth defects.




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    • class=MsoNormal>The study, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, found that birth defects, such as spina bifida and heart disease, are more prevalent among babies born to overweight mothers. Why this is, however, remains a mystery.  


    class=MsoNormal>“There are three intriguing possibilities,” says study author and CDC epidemiologist Margaret Watkins. They are: 


    class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 39pt; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 39.0pt">·         Metabolic alterations occur in obese women. For instance, the body may increase the production of chemicals such as glucose or estrogen, which in turn could increase the risk of birth defects, says Watkins.


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