New pregnancy risk for babies and moms

Overweight moms with moderately high blood sugar raise health risk

2012-04-13

(Press-News.org) CHICAGO --- Pregnant women who are overweight with moderately elevated blood sugar never set off any alarms for their physicians. The big concern was for women who were obese or who had gestational diabetes because those conditions are known to cause a host of health risks to the mom and baby.

But a new study shows these women who are just above average for weight and blood sugar are at a higher risk of bad pregnancy outcomes than previously known. In fact, this group is at higher risk than pregnant women who are obese with normal blood sugar or pregnant women who have gestational diabetes and a normal weight.

"These are women who have not been on our radar because they don't have gestational diabetes and aren't obese, but our study shows if you are one step away from each of those, you carry some significant risks," said principle investigator Boyd Metzger, M.D., a professor of medicine-endocrinology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "We need to address the combination of overweight and blood sugar of these women as urgently as we do for women who are obese or have gestational diabetes."

This group of women comprised about 6 percent of the total number of women in the study. Obese women made up 16 percent of the group and those with gestational diabetes accounted for 13.7 percent.

The study also found women who are both obese and have gestational diabetes are at a much higher risk of having an adverse pregnancy than women having only one of those conditions.

The paper, published in the April issue of Diabetes Care, is from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study and includes 23,316 women from nine countries.

One of the adverse outcomes for these mothers is having large babies, the result of fat accumulation. Large babies increase the risk of injury to the baby during vaginal delivery, increasing the likelihood of a Caesarean section.

The study found when the mothers are obese and have gestational diabetes, the babies weigh 340 grams more than babies of mothers with normal weight and blood sugar. When the mothers are overweight (but not obese) with above-average blood sugar levels, the babies weigh 214 grams more. Mothers of normal weight but with gestational diabetes have babies who weigh 164 grams more. And obese mothers with normal glucose levels have babies with an increased weight of 174 grams.

A pregnant woman's higher blood sugar level and weight also can lead to higher insulin and lower blood sugar levels in a newborn. In turn, these effects may eventually trigger obesity and diabetes, perhaps as early as childhood.

"The big message from this is when you look at the impact of nutrition, metabolism and weight on pregnancy outcomes, every woman – on her first prenatal visit -- should get a prescription for a session with a dietician and an appropriate healthy eating plan for her pregnancy," said Metzger, also the Tom D. Spies Professor of Metabolism and Nutrition at Northwestern's Feinberg School. "This doesn't happen, but it should, and insurance companies should reimburse it."

###The research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

NORTHWESTERN NEWS: www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find

2012-04-13

AUSTIN, Texas--Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery from scientists at The University of Texas at Austin that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant evolution. "Crop seeds provide nearly 70 to 80 percent of calories and 60 to 70 percent of all proteins consumed by the human population," said Z. Jeff Chen, the D.J. Sibley Centennial Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics at The University of Texas at Austin. "Seed production is obviously very important for agriculture and plant evolution." Chen and ...

The Meat Factory Makes Community a Priority, in the March Issue of Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13

When it comes to running a successful business over decades, passion is everything. At The Meat Factory, passion is no short supply. Whether it's supporting the community, its employees, progress in the realm of food safety, or Canada's agriculture industry, TMF is a company that is not content to do things half-heartedly. That passion is one of many traits that have served to cement the company as one of Canada's top food manufacturers. "We derive our livelihood from Canada and Canadian products, and we also have to be cognizant of the farmers and everyone else ...

Magnetic Analysis Corporation Remains Innovative at the Forefront of the Steel Industry, in Energy Digital

2012-04-13

Magnetics have been a major force in the steel industry for decades, and Magnetic Analysis Corporation has been at the forefront for just as long. Since first incorporating in 1928, MAC has been providing U.S. steel producers with innovative methods and equipment for testing their products. Today, the company has expanded its reach worldwide - but its dedication to groundbreaking technology is just as strong as ever. "Technology is always changing," says says Dudley Boden, Vice President of Sales at MAC. "Some eddy current and flux leakage technology ...

A Century Later, Haigh's Chocolates Still Values Progress and Tradition, in Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13

In 1915, Alfred Haigh moved from Mount Gambier to Adelaide with one goal: the chocolate business. Nearly a century later, Haigh's Chocolates is still standing strong with six locations in Adelaide, Melbourne, and now in Sydney. Still family-owned and operated to this day, Haigh's Chocolates finds ways to embrace new technology while still staying true to the friendliness and quality ingredients that have made the company famous. When a company is built upon family, it can be difficult finding the right people for the job. When that job also involves a precise artisan ...

Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters

2012-04-13

Duck-billed dinosaurs that lived within Arctic latitudes approximately 70 million years ago likely endured long, dark polar winters instead of migrating to more southern latitudes, a recent study by researchers from the University of Cape Town, Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas and Temple University has found. The researchers published their findings, "Hadrosaurs Were Perennial Polar Residents," in the April issue of the journal The Anatomical Record: Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology. The study was funded through a grant from the National ...

The Groove Train Sparks Interests of Consumers and Investors Alike, in the March Issue of Food & Drink Digital

2012-04-13

Rocky Veneziano and brothersJoe and John Kolenda are all self-made businessmen, solemnly dedicated to the pursuit of a business that is efficient and vertically integrated. But though their business is serious, their aim is to make The Groove Train a thoroughly engaging experience for both food and coffee lovers throughout Australia. "All our stores have a certain vibe about them: retro, groovy, casual, funky," says Rocky. "We have big communal tables, booth seating and table top arcade games machines which are also used as tables." "A lot ...

Ventana Research Begins 2012 Value Index for Product Information Management

2012-04-13

Ventana Research has begun its 2012 Value Index for Product Information Management. This 2012 Value Index will provide guidance that can enable organizations to ascertain the value of applications for addressing product information management. Using the Value Index, businesses and specific commerce, marketing, product, manufacturing and supply chain organizations will be able to evaluate vendors and their products and make choices based on an understanding of how well existing and new applications and technology best satisfy their needs. "The Value Index for ...

New technology tracks sparrow migration for first time from California to Alaska

2012-04-13

Using tiny tags to track a bird's location, biologists from PRBO Conservation Science (PRBO) have unlocked the mystery of where Golden-crowned Sparrows, which overwinter in California, go to breed in the spring. Published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, the study reveals for the first time the exact migration route of this small songbird to its breeding sites in coastal Alaska. During a time when birds are experiencing the negative impacts of climate and land-use changes, being able to pinpoint the most important breeding and stopover places is critical to prioritizing ...

Ocean acidification linked to larval oyster failure

2012-04-13

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners to be "non-economically viable." A study by the researchers found that elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, resulting in more corrosive ocean water, inhibited the larval oysters from developing their shells and growing at a pace that would make commercial production cost-effective. As atmospheric ...

UCSF chancellor issues call-to-arms to patient advocates

2012-04-13

In November 2011, a National Academy of Sciences committee issued a report calling for the creation of a "Google Maps"-like data network intended to revolutionize medical discovery, diagnosis and treatment. Today, the co-chair of that committee, UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, is issuing a call-to-arms to patient advocates to help make that idea a reality. In her editorial, reported in the April 11 issue of "Science Translational Medicine," Desmond-Hellmann calls on patient advocates to work with policy makers in the U.S. Congress and elsewhere to develop ...

First-in-human study of once-daily oral treatment for obesity that mimics metabolic effects of gastric bypass without surgery

Rural preschoolers more likely to be living with overweight and abdominal obesity, and spend more time on screens, than their urban counterparts

Half of popular TikToks about “food noise” mention medications, mainly weight-loss drugs, to manage intrusive thoughts about food

Global survey reveals high disconnect between perceptions of obesity among people living with the disease and their doctors

Study reveals distinct mechanisms of action of tirzepatide and semaglutide

Mount Sinai Health System to honor Dennis S. Charney, MD, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for 18 years of leadership and service at annual Crystal Party  

New pregnancy risk for babies and moms

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: