The likelihood of your baby’s wellness being affected by obesity and many other health problems might be determined in the womb. This is according to a report published this month by a British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) task force, who said that you should understand that your weight and wellbeing during pregnancy, and before you conceive, plays a crucial part in securing a healthy long-term future for your children.
According to taskforce chairman Professor Tom Sanders, ‘Evidence suggests that poor foetal growth, especially followed by accelerated growth in infancy, may be associated with long-term adverse consequences for health. Poor foetal growth may also affect kidney development, making offspring more sensitive to the blood pressure raising effect of salt and, therefore, increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease.’
The BNF taskforce evaluated aspects of nutrition and early life development, including the impact of your health and eating habits on your baby even before conception. This formed the basis of the report, entitled Nutrition and Development: short and long-term consequences for health. The report takes a closer look at obesity, and notes one of the causes is an increased appetite some people have in adulthood compared with others. The report suggested this cause might have also been programmed in the womb as a result of their mother’s diet and weight.
Sara Stanner, science programme manager at BNF, explained, ‘There is now unequivocal evidence to show the biological link between obesity and weight-related health issues in women and their children. This is a very important message in the fight against obesity…Once a baby is conceived, the biological framework for its future health is already set, so, where possible, women should look to improve their health status before they conceive. A major challenge the UK faces in addressing the obesity epidemic is the fact that around half of all pregnancies in the UK are unplanned.’
Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), commented, ‘We look forward to this report with great interest…Obesity is without doubt a problem and can have detrimental effects in pregnancy. It is an issue we need to tackle and midwives have a key role to play in helping obese women in their care, to promote better health in their pregnancy and beyond. This is a public health role of the midwife that is often overlooked and under-recognised. We are desperately short of midwives in England and investment is needed in midwifery so that they can carry out this part of their work much more effectively, to the benefit of the public health of the nation.’
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