Did Your Weight Problem Begin When You Were In The Womb?

Today in fat news: New evidence shows that babies can be prenatally “programmed” to become overweight children. And those kids are more likely to be fat grownups.

According to a piece by Jane E. Brody in the New York Times, birth weight tends to predict BMI later in life. (Not that the BMI is a good indicator of health, necessarily). But there is a “consistent association” between how much a woman gains while pregnant and how much her babies weigh. In other words:

The new findings suggest that Americans are now caught in a vicious cycle of increasing fatness, with prospective mothers starting out fatter, gaining more weight during pregnancy and giving birth to babies who are destined to become overweight adults.

Here’s what sucks: It’s very common to hear stars like Khloe Kardashian wanting to be “skinny pregnant,” see tabloid covers blaring about “body after baby,” and listen to Gisele Bundchen boasting that she “only” gained 30 lbs. while carrying her son. Earlier this year, it seemed that he “baby weight” obsession was out of control. But these women never seem to be worried about gaining weight while pregnant for health reasons. How come the delicate balance between nourishing a fetus and bearing a child with a healthy birth weight doesn’t come up in these conversations as often as looking good in a bikini?

Weight Problems May Begin in the Womb [NY Times]

Earlier: Doctor Calls Bullshit On The BMI
The “Baby Weight” Obsession: Officially Out Of Control