Researchers from Saint Louis University have conducted a study to evaluate the effects of weight loss on fetal health in pregnant women with obesity. Previously, doctors had not recommended that pregnant women with obesity limit weight gain or attempt to lose weight during pregnancy so as not to harm the baby. However, the study – which followed two groups of pregnant women who were obese and suffered from gestational diabetes – found that obese women who had no weight gain during pregnancy as well as those who had lost weight during pregnancy did not cause harm to the health of the baby. Babies who were born to the women who either maintained their weight or lost weight as a result of diet and exercise during pregnancy were more likely to be of average size. The results of the study are published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Source: Earthtimes.org