"women who are obese at the time of conception have a much higher incidence of birth defects" so saith R4 this am.

[CountessDracula]

A study of 10,000 obese mothers and 5.000 non-obese mothers apparently showed a significantly higher incidence of certain defects, specifically they said Spina Bifida, heart problems and missing toes, fingers etc.

More info here

"Children born to obese women had a 40 percent increased risk for heart defects and more than double the odds of spina bifida."

Have women on mn found this to be the case?

I think the problem is not the study, but the angle from which the article is written. The fact don't actually point ot a correlation between being obese and birth defects. They point to a correlation between being diabetic and birth defects. But the articel is harping on about obesity -- probably because it creates a bit more controversy and helps to sell the article.

So, I do think the writing of the article is a tad irresponsible because it isn't really an accurate representation of the findings of the study.

but eleusis they say

The causes behind the birth defects are unknown, but doctors suspect the higher rates of diabetes in obese mothers may play a role.

When they removed diabetes from the equation, doctors found that many of the birth defect risks decreased slightly

Also surely the diabetes is linked to obesity anyway!

(i presume they are talking about gestational diabetes here)

although obesity may be a factor in gestational diabetes it is not that simple

"Hormones from the placenta help the baby develop, but these hormones also block the action of the mother's insulin in her body. This problem is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it hard for the mother's body to use insulin. She may need up to three times as much insulin.

Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy"

Some obese women are already insulin resistant (it may be caused by obesity or conversely it can cause obesity) therefore predisposed to gestational diabetes.

Other risk factors are:

have a family history of type II (adult-onset) diabetes
are over the age of 35
are obese
have previously given birth to a large baby
have previously given birth to a baby born with an abnormality
have previously had a stillbirth late in pregnancy

Right, so when they took diabetes out of the equation there was no positive correlation. That is the fact, but it is not the angle from which the article is written.

Yes, of course, as there is a higher rate of obesity in diabetics that may be the confounding variable that explains the correlation.

But that is pretty well brushed over in the article.

NIDDM is directly linked to being obese

id like to clarify something - can a diet still be healthy if you eat too much?

I beleive it was already known that gestational diabetes can cause congential problems like heart defects

"can a diet still be healthy if you eat too much" - I was tkaing healthy to mean the popularly accepted "healthy diet", I am not trying to imply that being obese or eating too much is healthy.

yy but even when they discount the gestational diabetes the risk is still much higher

If the folic acid/weight thing is relevant, then that affects tall women as well as obese ones. I'm no sylph, but I am not obese, yet at 5 11 I almost certainly weigh more than some obese women who are shorter than I.

but what IS a healthy diet?

CD

often being obese can mean you have other issues too so its a huge huge melting pot itsnt it

nothing can be seperately taken and analysed

yes very good point!

I suppose a healthy diet for a normal person (ie one without special dietary requirments) would be a balance of carbs, protein and veg/salad in a moderate quantity, not too much salt or sugar or fat and a moderate quantity of alcohol

(that rules me out then )

yy
but smoking usually means you have other issues too
as does drinking
as do most things!

surely you know what I mean - British heart Foundation have a good leaflet...

Good fats vs bad
avoid hydrogenated fat
moderate red meat
plenty of unrefined carbs
At least 5 fruit and veg a day
plenty of water
alcohol in moderation

have I missed anything?

yet it is ok for them to warn us about the dangers of those despite the fact that they are usually issue related

ok take one of these things

protein

very good for you but in large quantities bad for you

like red meat

carbs are the enemy btw

oh yes salt - forgot about that.

yes I almost never eat them in the evening
I do like a sarnie for lunch sometimes though
and my big treat is toast at hte weekends! (only one day tho)

for breakfast that is

I hate that carbs are poison bollocks.

i dont mean to offend but i cant see how you can be overweight if you eat healthily

i really dont mean to offend anyone

im probably ignorant.

of course they are not poison
but if you eat them in the evenings how are you going to burn them off? They are FUEL for the morning and lunchtime imo
I feel horrible and bloated if I eat them in the evening and it disturbs my sleep

"You might be overweight but not obese, in which case you would be fine imho"

This is the kind of thinking that makes me cross actually. So I would "be fine" if I was just overweight but as soon as I fell into the unsightly "obese" category I would not be fine? I think you'd be surprised by how little overweight you have to be before you are classified medically as obese...

carbs amke me bloated and feel sick