Obese baby
Obesity stomach surgery can result in healthier babies according to a study published in the November Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
There have been plenty of scientific studies explaining the link between obesity and complications during pregnancy, for both the mother (such as gestational diabetes, chest infections, etc) as well as the foetus (such as increased risk of stillbirths), but this study – conducted by a surgeon from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn along with a team of researchers at University of Laval in Quebec City – is a little bit different.
The findings of this study essentially show that obesity creates an unhealthy environment for a foetus and the foetus can subsequently undergo changes in the womb that can cause problems later in life.
The research studied the offspring of 49 obese women who had both given birth and also undergone ‘biliopancreatic diversion bariatric surgery’ (where a portion of the stomach is removed and food and enzymes re-routed past part of the small intestine, limiting the amount of nutrients absorbed).
The average weight lost was more than one-third of their body weight rendering them from ‘obese’ to ‘slightly overweight’. All women studied had managed to keep the lost weight off.
111 children were born to these women, 54 before the surgery and 57 afterwards, and when studied (in 2005) their ages ranged from 2 to 25.
Nineteen children who were born to women before they underwent surgery ended up being severely obese, whilst only six children born to women after the surgery were obese. Statistically, this suggests the stomach surgery significantly reduces the incidence of obesity in the child.
Possibly more telling, however, was the fact that all the children born to post-operative mothers, as a group, scored better on a wide range of medical tests. They had better levels of hormones that regulate appetite, they used insulin more effectively, had better cholesterol levels, had lower levels of proteins indicative of chronic inflammation, and greatly reduced chances of cardiovascular disease, stroke and other long-term health problems.
How these changes are made ‘in utero’ is still unclear, any genes could potentially be modifiable, though the process of how this happens is not yet determined.
What does this mean for pregnant women and women wishing to get pregnant though? Well, obese pregnant women are likely to be told to lose weight, pregnant women in general will probably be told not to gain dramatic levels of weight, and obese women not yet pregnant but planning a child will most likely be told to lose a few stone before actually having one.
Whether we ever see a day where obese people are refused fertility treatment nationwide as standard, not unlike what is happening in Southport, Merseyside, will be anyone’s guess. But if you ask me, it won’t be that long coming. Transcending issues of weight, public health, the future burden on the NHS, and the wider health of the future generation makes for a powerful mix.
Is this a good thing? For both the mother and the unborn child I think it is. The health benefits of losing weight provide an overwhelming case. Being told to lose weight ‘for the sake of their child’ may act as a better incentive to some women; if lacking the willpower to do it for themselves, they might do it for their child.
So, the unborn child is dependent upon the mother for its future health, but ultimately the mother might be dependent on the unborn child for her future health. I think there’s something rather fitting about that…
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