Pregnancy and obesity

July 15, 2014

Pregnancy and obesity-The risks involved

Don’t let obesity or weight gain ruin your joy of motherhood. Seek help from obesity expert when pregnant and enjoy motherhood.

Weight is a very significant component in human life because there is the recommended weight considered to be healthy. If ones weight is not within the break even line then such individual has a medical problem and should seek medical attention immediately. Our mothers when pregnant will always add some weight due to the unborn baby growing inside their wombs. This is what I will call necessary weight gain because there is a baby involve, in fact the additional weight should be that of the unborn baby but if this goes beyond the recommended higher limit then there is a problem. This is the problem we want to discuss to give some insight on how to cope and respond when you find yourself in similar situation as a woman. Dear reader I do not intend to address women only but it is equally important for men to be equipped with this information to give a helping hand in the family if faced with the problem of weight gain during pregnancy.

Therefore being over-weight or obese during pregnancy may have health complications to the mother and to the unborn baby’s development in the womb and even on delivery and after delivery. Because of the magnitude involved it is important that we get to know the health complications arising out of weight gain and how to positively respond to them during and after pregnancy. For a start it is important that you are aware of what may be considered to be obese

What’s considered obese?

First of all what is obesity? It is a condition where the body accumulates too much fat that the body does not need. This is normally determined by a formula based on ones height and weight also known as body mass index (BMI). Below is a guide on what is considered normal or a pointer to obese.

Body Mass Index Weight status

a) Below 18.5 Underweight

b) 18.5 – 24.9 Normal

c) 25 – 29.9 Overweight

d) 30 – 39.9 Obese

e) 40 and above Extreme obesity

Could obesity affect my ability to get pregnant?

This condition can harm a woman’s fertility by preventing normal ovulation thereby necessitating the use of vitro fertilization (IVF) to complete the process. IVF is a common practice in which the sperm fertilizes the egg outside the body and doctors implant it into the woman’s uterus in hopes of a successful pregnancy. Answering the question being obese can affect pregnancy and as a woman’s BMI rises, so does the risk of unsuccessful IVF.

Effects of obesity during pregnancy

It is only healthy that pregnant women watch out their weight closely as possible to avoid being obese because obesity increases pregnancy complications risk greatly. Some of these risks may include:

Gestational diabetes – obese women stand great chance of suffering from diabetes that develops in the course of pregnancy which is commonly known as gestational diabetes than those with normal weight.
Preeclampsia – obese women has increased risk of developing high blood pressure and protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy (preeclampsia).
Infection – obese women has increased risk of urinary tract infections. Obesity also increases the risk of postpartum infection, whether the baby is delivered normally or by C-section.
Thrombosis – obese women has increased risk of a serious condition in which a blood clot forms inside a blood vessel (thrombosis).
Overdue pregnancy – obesity increases the risk of prolonged pregnancy wand goes beyond the expected due date.
Labor problems – labor induction is more common with obese women. This may also inhibit the use of certain types of pain medication like an epidural block.
C-section – obesity during pregnancy increases the likelihood of elective and emergency C-sections. It also increases the risk of C-section complications like delayed healing and wound infections. Women who are obese are also less likely to have a successful vaginal delivery after a C-section (VBAC).
Pregnancy loss – obesity increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.

Effects of obesity to the unborn child

There are various health complications to the unborn baby when the mother is suffering from obesity, these may include:

Macrosomia – obese women has high potential of bringing forth babies who are who are obese are at increased risk of delivering an infant who is considerably larger than average (Macrosomia) and has more body fat than normal. Studies have established that as birth weight increases, so does the risk of childhood obesity.
Chronic conditions – being obese during pregnancy might subject your baby to the danger of developing heart disease or diabetes as they grow up into being adult.

The recommended weight gain during pregnancy

This is not possible expressly as each individual would gain differently depending on their health BMI, pre-pregnancy weight, their health and that of their unborn children. It is therefore important that pregnant mothers consult regularly with their health care provider to give direction on what’s best in each case and also to consistently monitor their weight though out the pregnancy period. You may want to consider the following general guidelines for pregnancy weight gain and obesity:

Single pregnancy – if you’re obese and carrying one baby, the recommended weight gain should be about 11-20 pounds that is approximately 5 to 9 kilograms.
Multiple pregnancies – if you’re obese and carrying twins or multiples, the recommended weight gain should be about 25-42 pounds which is approximately 11-19 kilograms.

In conclusion obesity is a medical condition and being obese during pregnancy may increase the risk of health complications for both of you (the mother and the baby). To reduce your nervousness, you will need to work very closely with your health care provider who will help you avoid excessive weight gain, manage any medical conditions, and monitor your baby’s growth and development. Talking of health care provider it is necessary that you seek for the experts and not just anybody for that matter. It is your life and that of the unborn child we are talking about here and that is why doctor Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to help you get the assurance of good health even when you are obese. Under the care of Doctor Akoury your condition will be turn around into great joy by administering treatment while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) ensuring total reinstatement of normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Pregnancy and obesity-The risks involved

Weight Gain

June 19, 2014

Weight Gain-It has become a Global Problem

Globalization and modernity has great influence on weight gain and obesity. Natural physical activities is being replaced with gym facilities.

For a long time issues to do with weight has been a concern of the ladies with men taking the back seat. This is no more in the today’s society weight is everyone concern young and old. The kind of life we live today has great effects on our weight it is either we are adding or losing, the great concern is in the gaining because this is where health complication arises. Looking at the new styles of life brought about by modernity we can point out positive and negative development and for sure we are today much cleverer than we were several decades ago have developed immensely in technology. Modernization has for sure lifted millions of people out of poverty, reducing hunger and infectious disease and in turn improving quality of life. While on the other hand the same social and economic shifts that have increased people’s wealth have also increased their waistlines and are driving the obesity epidemic in several countries globally. Obesity is a public health problem that has been for a long time been associated with the western countries but this has over the decades changed and it is now a global problem affecting both poor and wealthy nations almost equally. It is believed that about 500 million adults are obese and 1.5 billion are overweight. These statistics are indeed worrying and it is further complicated with the fact that many poor countries are not only struggling with the burden of obesity but also that of underweight because of malnutrition. The health care professionals have raised their concern on the emerging trend of globalization/modernity is driving overweight problem as a matter of fact overweight has overtaken underweight globally thanks to the many fast food restaurants and supermarkets selling junks. This has completely changed the traditional menu in most households thereby distorting our nutrition and healthy living.

Weight Gain-Modernization Promotes Obesity

At an individual level, obesity results from energy imbalance too many calories in, too few calories burned. But the food and physical activity choices that individuals make are shaped by the world in which they live:

The food environment: what type of food is available, how much it costs and how it is marketed influences what people eat.
The built environment: buildings, neighborhoods, transportation systems, and other man-made elements of the landscape influences how active people are.
New technologies: cars, computers, televisions, labor-saving devices, and many more change what people do for work, transportation, and leisure.

There are three broad global forces which are the major drivers of these changes they include:

Free trade
Economic growth
Urbanization

These macro-level changes are for sure driving the global obesity epidemic and especially in low and middle-income countries. Let us now take a moment and discus them for better understanding.

Weight Gain-Global Free Trade

Globalization has effectively brought with it trade liberalization which has open the market for food market and a varieties of food products which are often high in calories. It has also removed barriers to foreign investment in food distribution and allows multinational food companies and fast-food chains to expand their businesses into new countries thereby introducing high risk and unhealthy feeding habits. The question we need to answer is how does this contribute to weight gain and obesity? We are in agreement that the traditional foods were much nutritious than the processed foods which are for one not fresh and are very rich in calories. These foods are affordable and readily available 24/7 creating laxity in most families consuming homemade food. People have become so busy even to eat at home stuffing their fridges with all sorts of unhealthy food stuff and thanks to this behavior we are getting a lot of calories in our bodies which we cannot burn and so the cycle of obesity continues.

Weight Gain-Income, Socioeconomic Status and Weight

Globalization has open various opportunities and nations of the world are getting wealthier each passing day and knowing that wealth is closely associated with obesity as scale of income goes up so is obesity. Take for example farm workers who were getting minimal income begins to have enough money to jump into the modern habits associated with obesity like watching television, buying processed foods at supermarkets, and eating more food away from home but without proper healthcare and knowledge about healthy foods and physical activity that would help them keeps their weight down, obesity sinks in. However the direct opposite is that when countries graduate to middle and then to high income bracket people will definitely have better access to health care and education which translate into reducing the rate of obesity and unnecessary weight gain.

Weight Gain-Urbanization, Diet and Activity

Today almost more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, compared with just some 10 percent in 1900. This then means that life style has changed drastically to these city dwellers. They are physically under the greater influence of new technology. They are no longer illiterate and are able to access quality health care from the many health facilities available in the cities which can help reduce obesity. Nonetheless in many low and middle income countries, new urban areas develop so quickly that the health care and education infrastructure is never adequate due to the enormous influx of rural urban migration. Besides feeding habits adequate physical activities in urban setups may be lucking due to the fear of insecurity associated with urban neighborhoods. The traditional villages are believed to be much safer and so movement of people is not very much restricted to use of motor vehicles. People can freely walk or do their physical activities outdoors without the burden of insecurity on their shoulders as opposed to the urban centers.

Weight Gain-Speeding up the Nutrition Transition

Economic growth and urbanization lead to predictable shifts in diet, called nutrition transitions. In hunter-gatherer societies, people forage for food. Next they shift to rudimentary agriculture, often enduring famine. As wealth and technology grow and famine recedes, calorie intake rises, leading to overeating and obesity. Globalization has helped move many countries from famine to food sufficiency. But in many low- and middle-income countries, globalization has also accelerated the shift from food sufficiency to Western-style feast—and in turn, to obesity and obesity-related diseases. The effects of globalization as a factor in weight gain and obesity is very interesting and needs to be further interrogated with experience experts who have had similar dealings in the past. Dr. Dalal Akoury has been helping people suffering from obesity globally using very natural means. She is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center a facility in which exclusive NER Recovery Treatment is administered to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Qualified professional or anybody with problems with weight gain or obesity can be a part of this truly successful and fast addiction recovery treatment.

Weight Gain-It has become a Global Problem

Obesity Epidemic

June 18, 2014

Obesity Epidemic-Modern Sitting Furniture

We are using seats everywhere we are without knowing that some of these seat are the source of our health problems like obesity and weight gain

Did you know that the comfort of your living room, office, eateries and the like could be the reason why you can’t have proper control of your weight? Thanks to modernity we can today afford to live a life full of comforts around us. Take for example the kind of seats you use in your house, office, hotels, in your car, buses, planes and locomotives if the pocket allows you would go for the very best that would offer you the maximum comfort. This is the problem begins and for the purpose of this article we will be discussing the possible effects of our desired seat comfort and the endless problem of weight gain and obesity so stay tuned and let us learn together. If you were to carry out a simple research today beginning with your own family you would probably if not definitely find that the seats in our homes and offices are very comfortable, soft and nice looking to sit on, it may be very difficult if not impossible to find firm wooden seats being used in our families today. What we may not know is that these comfortable seats as we call them are a great threat to good health, they are associated with the problem of weight gain and obesity and we all know the problems those suffering from obesity or weight gain goes through. Tracing the kind of life our ancestors lived in relation to today’s life style weight gain was never a problem as matter of facts there was under weight. They were using firm wooden furniture without the arm’s length and back rest which the day’s generation considers uncomfortable, what amazes me is that there was no weight related problem and less incidences of certain types of diseases that to an epidemical proportion affects the industrialized world today.

Obesity Epidemic-The traditional seats

It must be noted that sitting for a significant amount of time on modern sitting furniture result in adverse musculoskeletal changes and studies have found that adverse musculoskeletal changes cause excessive weight gain. I talked of our ancestors but bring it nearer to just a few decades ago and quite recently, even in the western industrialized world, sitting furniture consisted mainly of chairs or benches with a solid seat surface. I strong believe that we are in agreement that just a few decades ago, upholstered sitting furniture’s like the arm chair, sofa and couch were uncommon office furniture let alone household furniture’s. In most societies in the developing world the kinds of furniture used consisted of very simple seats with three leg or four legs without the back or arm rest. These industrious seats like the sofa, couch, armchair, rocking chair or even the chairs fitted with backrest were a luxury that could only be associated with a small population of the rich who could afford them. The true picture is that the majority of the world’s populations were using chairs with a wooden seat and wooden benches, and in the last few decades huge changes have happened.

Obesity Epidemic-Upholstered furniture

Not so long ago, even in the industrialized world, the upholstered furniture was affordable only to rich people. Nowadays, due to the advancement in technology, production and economic prosperity, it is available to a great percentage of the world’s population because of the drastic reduction of their cost. The economic prosperity has come with great changes and diversifications of how we live. We have replaced the traditional sitting furniture with modern ones consisting of chairs with an upholstered seat surface, like sofa, arm chair, couch, etc. if you were to interrogate technology of producing today’s upholstered sitting furniture is vastly different from the manufacturing technology that was used just a few decades ago. As a matter of fact lot long ago all upholstered sitting furniture were made using spring systems. The expensive sitting furniture was made using eight-way hand-tied springs that offer a firmer seat and a sitting position. The less expensive sitting furniture was made using sinuous springs that offers a softer seat. The current technology has tactfully eliminated the use of eight way hand tied spring and sinuous springs in a bid to cut on cost and has resorted in the cheap method of stuffing or padding with soft fuelling, mostly using polyurethane foam which are less costly. Even though a few furniture are still being made using springs these are very expensive and a preserved of the very rich leaving the majority with the upholstery of the cheap sitting furniture consists of high density polyurethane foams wrapped in fabrics that provides far softer seats compared with the sitting furniture that is made by using the spring system. The element of cost has drastically revolutionized the quality of seats in that it is less and less common for chairs to have a firm surface of the seat and most chairs have a soft upholstered seat. This revolution has not only replaced the old sitting furniture with the less costly version of modern sitting furniture’s in households, but also in public places like schools, universities, restaurants etc. chairs with a firm seat surface are replaced with the less costly version of sitting furniture that have a soft upholstered seat. This has really increased the current generation vulnerability to weight gain and obesity and all other complications associated with the two. Obesity Epidemic-Overweight and Obesity Funnily enough the changes that have taken place in the life style and food is not too much in relation to the ones that took place in the sitting furniture revolution. Let’s us get a bit of insight of this aspect even as we try to understand the implications of weight gain and obesity in the whole process. Just not long ago (a few decades) the greater population of people suffering from overweight and obesity came from the bracket of the rich and wealthy people while it is the rich who could afford the upholstered sitting furniture. Nonetheless obesity was rare and morbid obesity was inexistent the reason for this being, the seats of the upholstered sitting furniture were far less soft compared to today’s cheap version of upholstered sitting furniture. What a contrast that:

Today the expensive upholstered furniture is made by using the same technology that was used a few decades ago.
Today the prevalence of obesity among the poor population is not much different than what was the case a few decades ago.
The primary reasons for that is that they still use sitting furniture that is manufactured using the same system that was used a few decades ago.

Things have really changed and today in the developed world the most obese and particularly morbidly obese people are mostly found among the less affluent population. The primary reason for that is because they mostly use the less costly modern sitting furniture. During the time when sitting furniture was made mainly from wood without upholstering and mostly without back support, at the same time among the poor and the middle class population, obesity was unknown. During those times, the problem among the less poor population was mostly being underweight and not overweight, and severe obesity or morbid obesity was extremely rare. In the developed world, modern less costly sitting furniture is the main factor that has caused the less poor population to be affected with overweightness and obesity to a far greater extent than the rich population. Modern upholstered sitting furniture, particularly cheap versions that includes upholstered chair, armchair, sofa and couch are the main contributing factors for the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity throughout the world.

Obesity Epidemic-Gene

It is known that overweight and obese parents are more likely to have overweight and obese children. The main reason for that is that parents and children use the same sitting furniture. The obesity epidemic is mainly caused by the widespread use of modern upholstered sitting furniture. Particularly, the less costly version of upholstered sitting furniture is the main cause for the obesity epidemic and it is one of the primary factors that are responsible for the higher rate of obesity among the less poor population and regular or increased physical activity is not enough to counteract to the adverse consequences of prolonged sitting on the modern style of upholstered sitting furniture. Dietary intervention for weight management makes the problems worse. As we conclude on this article of great revelation, I want to encourage you that technology has brought with it lots of good and bad things in our lives, weight gain and obesity is just one among many. You and your friends need to seek guidance from the experts, you need not to be obese for you to do this but it is good to be full of knowledge even before the problem knocks on your door step. Taking your time to visit or call AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care who is also the founder will help you clear the air and be equipped with all the necessary information you need to be safe from obesity and weight related problems. And if you are obese then doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will help you get better while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Obesity Epidemic-Modern Sitting Furniture

Carbohydrates and body weight

May 28, 2014

Carbohydrates and body weight-How it affects weight gain and weight loss

Carbohydrates are essential for a well-balanced diet and healthy body

Carbohydrates are essential for a well-balanced diet and healthy body. They provide the only fuel source for many vital organs, including the brain, central nervous system and kidneys. The digestive system breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin to help the glucose move from the blood into the cells.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Why Do Carbohydrates Make You Gain Weight?

The popular phrase that “you are what you eat” many not be true when it comes to weight gain and fat storage. Dietary fat is not necessarily stored as body fat, while carbohydrates are easily stored as body fat. Carbohydrates are found in many of the foods typically consumed in most of our families’ diet. High-carb breakfast foods include breakfast cereals, toast, jam, milk, yogurt, granola bars and fruits, and other meals may also include large amounts of carbohydrates, such as bread, pizza crust, rice, potatoes and pasta. Looking at the ingredient content of this food stuff you will notice that they are real source of weight gain and possibly obesity.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Increased Hunger

One of the reasons why carbohydrates lead to weight gain is the fact that their consumption leaves people feeling hungry and how does this take place? The consumption of carbohydrates results in the release of insulin into the body system and insulin has the tendency of removing the nutrients from the bloodstream in the expectation or to create room for the arrival of more nutrients, this practice will always leave people feeling not quite satiated – even hungry. When the body feels hungry and unsatisfied, the habit or desire for food will be created because of the hunger being felt. This way one is likely to continue eating time and again and as a result gain more weight in the process.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Carbohydrate Addiction

The consumption of carbohydrates can actually cause an addiction for many people, because of the serotonin release they induce. Serotonin is a brain chemical that improves the mood and induces a relaxing effect by decreasing stress and anxiety as well as reducing pain. People with low serotonin levels may therefore reach for more and more carbohydrates in an attempt to feel better, which can eventually lead to weight gain.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Fat Storage

After eating carbohydrates, the pancreas responds by producing insulin, which is mainly responsible for regulating blood sugar levels by letting the carbohydrates broken down into sugar; enter the cells of the liver and muscles to be used for energy. High levels of circulating insulin, which are associated with the consumption of carbohydrates, help with the storage of carbohydrates and excess calories not required for immediate use as fat. In other words, carbohydrates promote the release of insulin, which in turn promotes fat storage.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Low Carbohydrate Diets for Weight Loss

Many studies have proven the effectiveness of diets with a lower carbohydrate intake for weight loss, according to a study published in 2008 in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.” Obese men were assigned to either a very low carbohydrate intake, with 4 percent of the calories as carbohydrates, or a moderate carbohydrate diet, with about 35 percent of the calories as carbohydrates. Although participants were allowed to eat to satiety in both groups, the group with the lowest carbohydrate intake lost significantly more weight in four weeks, about 14 lbs. compared to 9.6 lbs. in the moderate-carbohydrate group. The researchers conducting this study found that diets with a very low carbohydrate intake and higher fat intake resulted in significantly less hunger, which facilitates the weight loss process.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Short term effects of low carbohydrate diets

In the short term, low-carbohydrate diets may cause you to lose weight because they restrict kilojoules or energy. The body begins to use body stores of glucose and glycogen (from the liver and muscles) to replace the carbohydrates it is not getting from food. Around 3 g of water is needed to release 1g of glycogen, so the rapid initial weight loss on a low-carbohydrate diet is mostly water, not body fat.

As carbohydrate stores are used up, the body begins to rely on other sources of fuel such as fat. This can lead to the development of ketones in the body, which can make the body acidic. This can lead to metabolic changes, which may be dangerous for some people, such as those with diabetes.

Some people may also experience problems with a low-carbohydrate diet, including:

Nausea
Dizziness
Constipation
Lethargy
Dehydration
Bad breath
Loss of appetite.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Long term effects of low carbohydrate diets

A diet low in carbohydrates but high in saturated fat is a bit uncertain and the potential effect on human’s life is currently not known however some experts believe that it is a recipe for a heart attack. Because of the uncertainty more research is needed to bring clarity to the safety of very low carbohydrate diets. Nevertheless some of the possible long term effects may include the following:

Weight gain – when a normal diet is resumed, some muscle tissue is rebuilt, water is restored and weight quickly returns.

High cholesterol, abdominal obesity and obesity-related disorders – diets that are high in protein and fats are associated with a number of conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. This can occur if the diet is very high in fat, particularly from high-fat meats such as salami, sausages and bacon.
Kidney problems – can occur in people with impaired kidney function or diabetes.
Osteoporosis and related conditions – are due to loss of calcium from the bones.

Carbohydrates and body weight-Weight loss needs a healthy approach

A diet high in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy products, and moderate in fat and kilojoules, is the best way to lose weight and keep it off.

Vegetarians and people who consume predominantly plant-based diets are generally slimmer and have much lower rates of obesity, heart disease and cancer, compared to people who eat meat-based diets. This supports current thinking that diets high in unrefined carbohydrates help to prevent overweight and obesity.

Ultimately, to avoid weight gain, energy intake should not be more than energy output over a period of time. Avoiding large portion sizes and limiting intake of saturated fats and added sugars will help keep energy intake in check. Regular exercise is also critical for long-term weight loss success. For more in-depth information about weight gain and weight loss doctor Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center will be very resourceful for you and your loved ones. Doctor Akoury and her team of experts will be there for you to help you in all stages of your weight condition while focusing on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

Carbohydrates and body weight-How it affects weight gain and weight loss

Obesity Prevention Sources

May 10, 2014

Obesity Prevention Sources-Developmental Origins

Obesity does not discriminate on any line prevention of obesity is better than cure especially in children

Obesity is a condition which has been for a long time been seen to be a problem of choice and an unfortunate failure of will and self-restraint by many in the society. However it has much deeper and more complex roots, which we are going to discuss in this article so that we get to know more about the origins of obesity. For instance genes clearly play a role in driving an individual’s propensity to gain excess weight, as does the environment and gene environment interactions. Early-life influences, beginning with the intrauterine environment and continuing through the first few years of life, also shape the trajectory of weight gain and body fatness throughout the life course.

If a mother smokes during pregnancy or gains too much weight, there’s a greater chance that her child will be obese. Lack of sleep or too-rapid weight gain during infancy may also increase obesity risk. A proposal has been made by researchers that coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases develop in part due to inadequate nutrition during life and infancy.

The gathered data is showing that higher birth weight is also associated with obesity, diabetes, and other adult diseases has helped extend this concept into the developmental origins hypothesis which encompasses the preconception period as well as many critical periods of fetal and infant development. During each of these periods, several factors appear to have a substantial impact on obesity in childhood and adulthood. I will be discussing some of the outlines of the key prenatal and early life influences on the development of adult weight and obesity, I want therefore to request you to keep reading and be adequately informed at the end of this article.

Obesity Prevention Sources-Prenatal Influences on Obesity

The warm, nutrient- and hormone-rich environment of the uterus has a profound effect on fetal development. Brief or fluctuating changes in the intrauterine environment at critical or sensitive periods of the developmental process, as well as longer term alterations, could have irreversible, lifelong consequences. Three modifiable prenatal factors that appear to shape fetal nutrition and health in later life are:

The mother’s smoking habits during pregnancy.
The mother’s weight gain during pregnancy.
The mother’s blood sugar levels during pregnancy, specifically, when she develops pregnancy-related (gestational) diabetes.

It makes intuitive sense that the mother’s diet during pregnancy should also affect fetal development and birth weight, but evidence for this is inconsistent.

Obesity Prevention Sources-Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy and Child Obesity Risk

Although smoking during pregnancy tends to slow the rate of fetal growth children born of women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to be obese than the children of women who don’t. In a meta-analysis of 14 studies, maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a 50 percent higher risk of childhood obesity. Most of the studies looked at children’s obesity status at ages 3 to 7; one study assessed obesity at age 14, and another tracked the children all the way to young adulthood.

Obesity Prevention Sources-Gestational Weight Gain and Childhood Obesity Risk

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is more common now than it was in 1990 when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) first offered recommendations for pregnancy-related weight gain. In addition, more women are beginning pregnancy overweight or obese. These worrisome changes prompted the IOM to reevaluate what constitutes healthy weight gain during pregnancy, with new evidence suggesting that weight gain once considered normal by the IOM actually increases the risk of childhood obesity. Further studies revealed that children born of women who gained excessive amount of weight had above four times risk of being overweight at age 3 compared with children born of women who gained an inadequate amount of weight. Even women who gained what was considered to be an adequate amount of weight bore children who were nearly four times more likely to be overweight at age 3 than children of women who gained an inadequate amount of weight.

Obesity Prevention Sources-Gestational Diabetes and Child Obesity Risk

Weight gained during pregnancy is primarily adipose (fat) tissue. Proliferation of adipose tissue is often accompanied by a state of relative insulin resistance starting in mid-pregnancy. This adaptive response allows for more efficient transfer of glucose and other fuels across the placenta, so the fetus can grow. But it may also subject the fetus to periods of high blood glucose and elevated insulin. These can lead to increased body fat, which generally manifests as larger size at birth. Many studies show that birth weight is directly associated with later BMI, so it makes sense that gestational diabetes in a mother may contribute to obesity in her child.

Maternal BMI at the beginning of pregnancy is a strong risk factor for offspring obesity and other conditions. Once pregnancy begins, however, it is not a modifiable factor and no one is recommending that women try to lose weight during pregnancy. That is why achieving a healthy BMI before pregnancy begins is one of the most important goals for preventing obesity across generations.

Postnatal Influences on Obesity

Environmental influences don’t stop with birth. Instead, they merely shift from a small, confined space largely controlled by the mother’s genes, lifestyle, and physiology to an unbounded environment with equally influential effects. Three modifiable postnatal factors during infancy that influence weight in later life include

How rapidly an infant gains weight.
How long an infant is breast fed.
How much an infant sleep.

Breastfeeding and Obesity Risk

The initiation and duration of breastfeeding may influence obesity in later life, although this is a controversial area of research. In two meta-analyses of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, breastfeeding was associated with a 13 percent and a 22 percent reduced risk of obesity in later life. Duration of breastfeeding may matter: A meta-analysis of 17 studies of breastfeeding duration found that each additional month that infants were breastfed was associated with a 4 percent lower risk of obesity later in life.

It is not clear that breastfeeding itself actually prevents obesity, however, as both breastfeeding and obesity may be influenced by similar socioeconomic and cultural factors. Although debate lingers over whether breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity, breastfeeding has many other proven health benefits for infants and their mothers, and it should be promoted regardless of its relationship to childhood obesity.

Healthy Behaviors During and Even Before Pregnancy Can Help Prevent Obesity

Nutrition and other lifestyle factors during several early periods in the lifecycle just before conception, the months spent in utero, and the months after birth can have profound effects on an individual’s weight at birth, during childhood, and on into adulthood. These are also potentially optimal times for intervention, for two reasons:

Women may be more receptive to making lifestyle changes as they prepare to get pregnant and when they are pregnant to increase the likelihood of having a healthy baby. And after giving birth, many women are willing to make substantial changes to raise a healthy infant. Here are five key messages for clinicians to give to women of childbearing age that could help improve their health and the health of their children, and limit the current epidemic of obesity:

Strive for a healthy weight before pregnancy.
Don’t smoke during pregnancy.
Aim for a reasonable weight gain during pregnancy.
Breastfeed (preferably without other liquids for 4–6 months and some breastfeeding for at least 12 months).
Ensure infants get adequate sleep during the first few years of life.

Finally as I conclude this article, having known the causes you can evaluate yourself and if you feel disturbed by your weight you can visit AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care for treatment. You will be handles with experts who will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE to make you get better and enjoy your life to the fullest.

Obesity Prevention Sources-Developmental Origins

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