Birth Weight News and Research

RSS

Nottingham experts identify risk factors associated with childhood obesity

High birth weight, rapid weight gain and having an overweight mother who smokes can all increase the risk of a baby becoming obese later in childhood, research by experts at The University of Nottingham has found.

30 Oct 2012

NIH conference to assess GDM screening and diagnostic approaches

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy (especially during the third trimester of pregnancy). It is defined as carbohydrate intolerance, which is the inability of the body to adequately process carbohydrates (sugars and starches) into energy for the body, that develops or is first recognized during pregnancy.

25 Oct 2012

Maternal dietary acrylamide has negative effect on fetal growth

Pregnant women who consume a diet that is high in acrylamide, found in cooked starchy foods such as toast, chips, and crisps, are more likely to give birth to a small for gestational age baby than women who do not.

24 Oct 2012

GAPPS announces five new projects for prevention of preterm births

Five innovative research projects aiming to prevent premature birth were announced today by the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), an initiative of Seattle Children's.

16 Oct 2012

High levels of chronic and acute illnesses in Palestinian refugees

New research draws attention to the continuing and urgent health emergency facing Palestinians living under occupation, especially the health and wellbeing issues surrounding refugees from the occupied Palestinian territories. Abstracts of the research, which were presented at the fourth meeting of The Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance in March 2012, are published online in The Lancet.

8 Oct 2012

Standard red blood cell transfusion as good as fresh RBCs for premature infants

Among premature, very low-birth-weight infants requiring a transfusion, use of fresh red blood cells (RBCs) compared with standard RBC transfusion practice did not improve clinical outcomes that included rates of complications or death, according to a study in the October 10 issue of JAMA.

8 Oct 2012

Low birth weight associated with long-term risk of diabetes, kidney disease and CVD

Being underweight at birth may have consequences above and beyond the known short-term effects says a research report published in the October 2012 issue of The FASEB Journal.

2 Oct 2012

Comprehensive prenatal care can decrease rates of low birth weights

Comprehensive prenatal care can decrease the rate of low birth weights, according to a study led by Dr. Yasmin Neggers, a University of Alabama researcher and professor of human nutrition and hospitality management.

25 Sep 2012

Women born prematurely more likely to have pregnancy complications

Women who were born premature are more likely to have pregnancy complications than women who weren't, according to data analyzed by a team lead by Dr. Anne Monique Nuyt, a neonatal specialist and researcher at the Sainte-Justine Mother and Child University Hospital Center and University of Montreal.

25 Sep 2012

Risk for cardiovascular disease begins early in life

A new multi-national survey reveals the extent of misconceptions about when is the right time to start taking action to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a four-country survey sample of 4,000 adults, 49 per cent answered age 30 years or older when asked at what age they believe people should start to take action about their heart health to prevent conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

24 Sep 2012

Secondhand smoke continues to take a grievous toll on nonsmokers

Secondhand smoke is accountable for 42,000 deaths annually to nonsmokers in the United States, including nearly 900 infants, according to a new UCSF study.

21 Sep 2012

Children without siblings at higher risk of being overweight or obese

Children who grow up without siblings have a more than 50 percent higher risk of being overweight or obese than children with siblings. This is the finding of a study of 12,700 children in eight European countries, including Sweden, published in Nutrition and Diabetes. The University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was one of the participating universities in the study.

17 Sep 2012

Brain derived neurotrophic factor level indicates childhood obesity risk

Brain derived neurotrophic factor may play an important role in the development and pathophysiology of childhood obesity, report researchers.

4 Sep 2012

Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking may promote obesity in adolescents

Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking appears associated with an increased risk for adolescent obesity, and is possibly related to subtle structural variations in the brain that create a preference for eating fatty foods, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Sep 2012

Study addresses important early risk factors of cardiovascular health in adolescents

Early exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with various adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents, including low birth weight and impaired lung growth and function.

26 Aug 2012

Emotional health and education level of mothers influence teen’s oral health

A mother's emotional health and education level during her child's earliest years influence oral health at age 14, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine.

23 Aug 2012

Chemotherapy during pregnancy: an interview with Professor Sibylle Loibl

The incidence is about 1-3% of all breast cancers. The incidence seems to be increasing due to women delaying their childbearing to when they are in their thirties.

22 Aug 2012

Smoking during pregnancy associated with wheezing and asthma in preschool children

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with wheeze and asthma in preschool children, even among children who were not exposed to maternal smoking late in pregnancy or after birth, according to a new study.

17 Aug 2012

Pregnant women who undergo chemotherapy do not appear to increase their baby’s risk of complications

The babies of breast cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy while pregnant do not appear to be at higher risk of complications, according to an Article published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.

16 Aug 2012

Endocrine Society revises clinical practice guideline for management of thyroid dysfunction

The Endocrine Society has made revisions to its 2007 Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for management of thyroid disease during pregnancy and postpartum. The CPG provides recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of patients with thyroid-related medical issues just before and during pregnancy and in the postpartum interval.

12 Aug 2012