National Institutes of Health (NIH) study findings could lead to adult obesity prevention and prevention of the associated health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
The study found that weight gain of more than 4.4 pounds in the first trimester led to “excess fat distribution in the upper arm and in the abdomen” in fetuses.
More than 2,600 pregnancies were researched. According to NIH’s release, “Fetuses from the excessive weight gain group continued to have greater arm thickness and abdominal measurements through the end of pregnancy, even when weight gain was not considered excessive during the second and third trimesters.”
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
