Children Born to Obese Mothers are 35 percent More Likely to Die Early

Children born to obese mothers are at a high risk of dying early than children born to mothers with normal weight.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and their colleagues who found that children of obese mothers were one-third more likely to die before age 55, probably due to a heart condition.

Obesity during pregnancy is now a common condition affecting approximately 70 percent of all pregnant women in the U.S. This study shows that it is important for women to lose weight before planning a pregnancy.

The data for the research was obtained from over 37,000 people born between 1950 and 1976. The scientists found that children born to obese mothers were 35 percent more likely to die premature and 29 percent more likely to be hospitalized due to heart failure, stroke or other heart conditions.

 "This study highlights the need for more research to better understand and prevent the impact of obesity during pregnancy for offspring in later life and the biological processes at work," said Professor Rebecca Reynolds from the University of Edinburgh.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal.

Related research papers have indicated that obese mothers are more likely to have pre-term deliveries, giving birth to babies that are 17 percent smaller than the ones born to health mothers. They are also at a greater risk of congenital defects, spina bifida (split spine- the spine in this case does not close and in some cases the spinal cord protrudes through the opening in the bones) or autism.

"This study highlights the importance of weight management in mothers and their offspring. We need to find out how to help young women and their children control their weight better so that chronic disease risk is not transmitted from generation to generation," Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya from University of Aberdeen said in a news release.