Re: OT: Obesity Is Linked to Birth Defects

[Guest guest]

Fatty fatty Mom's a jerk, ate too much kids' brains don't work....

Idiot researchers..... Leave the mothers alone. Yes, heavy women might

have kids with issues. So do thin women. So do short, tall, busty,

flatsy, red headed, blonde, brunette and black haired women. Research

has become ridiculous. I wonder if most people even pay attention to

these studies.

[Guest guest]

Do you know of any good caves? Mschaferatsprynet <schafer@...> wrote: How about this theory for the increase in birth defects: perhaps ithas nothing to do with weight, but rather that over-weight people eatmore food containing toxins, pesticides, etc., which lead to thedefects. I also strongly suspect that food additives, pesticides maybe what is stimulating over-eating behavior. (I guess we should listento neo-Luddites like Dr. Mercola and all move back into caves, youknow

the good old days.)Instead, they keep the blame meter stuck on "Mom".LennyObesity Is Linked to Birth DefectsAPhttp://tinyurl.com/36nryaObese women are at least twice as likely as thinner women to havebabies with debilitating birth defects, two studies have found. And avitamin known to help prevent such abnormalities appears to offeroverweight women no protection, the researchers said.Both studies, being published on Wednesday in The Journal of theAmerican Medical Association, involved so-called neural-tube defectsand women who were obese at conception, not those who gained a lot ofweight during pregnancy.The neural-tube defects linked to obesity include spina bifida, whichis an incomplete closure of the spinal column that often results inparalysis, and anencephaly, in which most of the brain is missing. Thedefects afflict about 2,500

babies annually in the United States, plusan unknown number of miscarried fetuses.An estimated 10 percent of women of childbearing age are obese."Considering the recent increase in obesity in the U.S. population,"Dr. L. Goldenberg and Dr. Tsunenobu Tamura of the University ofAlabama wrote in in an accompanying editorial, the findings "may haveimportant implications for the prevention of neural-tube defects."The researchers who conducted the two studies offered no explanationfor the apparent link between obesity and birth defects. But theAlabama doctors speculated that fat women might have some abnormalityin their metabolism or that unrecognized nutritional factors mightplay a role.In one study, researchers at Boston University found that women whoweighed 176 to 195 pounds before pregnancy were about twice as likelyto have a child with a neural-tube defect as women who weighed 110 to130

pounds. The increase was fourfold for women weighing 242 pounds ormore.The study involved 604 fetuses or infants with a neural-tube defectborn to women participating in birth defects research in Boston,Philadelphia and Ontario, Canada.The researchers did not have information on how tall all theparticipants were, but believe the increased risk is associated onlywith obesity, said the lead author, Dr. Martha M. Werler, anepidemiologist. Large women whose weight is nevertheless appropriatefor their height are not believed to run a higher risk.Dr. Werler and her colleagues also found that at least 400 microgramsof folic acid a day, the dose recommended by the Government for womenof childbearing age, reduced the risk of neural-tube defects by 40percent for children of women weighing less than 154 pounds. Folicacid did not reduce the risk in heavier women. Folic acid, a trace Bvitamin, is found in citrus

fruits and dark, leafy vegetables. It hasbeen shown to help prevent neural-tube defects when taken through foodor vitamin supplements.The finding is the first indication that folic acid may not offer thesame protection in obese women, Dr. Werler said. But researchers haveno clue why that is, she said, cautioning that the finding has to beconfirmed.The second study involved 538 babies or fetuses found to haveneural-tube defects from 1989 to 1991 in California. To determineobesity, that study measured body-mass index, a ratio of height toweight. For example, a 5-foot-6 woman weighing 185 pounds would have abody-mass index of 29.9.Women with an index higher than 29 -- those who were considered obese-- had twice the risk of having a baby with a neural-tube-defect babyof other women, said researchers led by Dr. M. Shaw, anepidemiologist with the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program.

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[Guest guest]

Dr. Cave.

> How about this theory for the increase in birth defects:

perhaps it

> has nothing to do with weight, but rather that over-weight people eat

[Guest guest]

I'm sure it's a vicious cycle- the picas from environmentally

induced malabsorbtion lead to grabbing for immediate gratification

foods which tend to be chock-full of metabolism/endocrine-skewering

crap and on and on.

Our daughter has a folate deficiency and she's the one who craves

salt and carbs. How can a child who has a very good intake of

organic, folate-containing food and who takes folate and

complimentary supplements/foods have a folate deficiency? Gee, could

it be induced by the same thing that screwed up her digestive track,

caused a language delay and skin disorder? Hmmm.

> > How about this theory for the increase in birth

defects:

> perhaps it

> > has nothing to do with weight, but rather that over-weight

people eat

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Fatty fatty Mom's a jerk, ate too much kids' brains don't work....

>

Charming <wrygrin>

> Yes, heavy women might

> have kids with issues. So do thin women. So do short, tall, busty,

> flatsy, red headed, blonde, brunette and black haired women.

>

All true. As my obgyn said, " even some crack moms have normal kids " .

However, depending on *why* the women are obese could be an important

factor. Thyroid []? Endocrine issues?

Effed up hormones not good for mom or baby.

-christine

[Guest guest]

Pesticides accumulate in fat - human fat and the fat in foods.

Carolyn

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/tips.htm

http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/nycap/heps.htm

>

> How about this theory for the increase in birth defects: perhaps it

> has nothing to do with weight, but rather that over-weight people

eat

> more food containing toxins, pesticides, etc., which lead to the

> defects. I also strongly suspect that food additives, pesticides may

> be what is stimulating over-eating behavior. (I guess we should

listen

> to neo-Luddites like Dr. Mercola and all move back into caves, you

> know the good old days.)

> Instead, they keep the blame meter stuck on " Mom " .

>

> Lenny

>

>

>

> Obesity Is Linked to Birth Defects

> AP

>

> http://tinyurl.com/36nrya

>

> Obese women are at least twice as likely as thinner women to have

> babies with debilitating birth defects, two studies have found. And

a

> vitamin known to help prevent such abnormalities appears to offer

> overweight women no protection, the researchers said.

>

> Both studies, being published on Wednesday in The Journal of the

> American Medical Association, involved so-called neural-tube defects

> and women who were obese at conception, not those who gained a lot

of

> weight during pregnancy.

>

> The neural-tube defects linked to obesity include spina bifida,

which

> is an incomplete closure of the spinal column that often results in

> paralysis, and anencephaly, in which most of the brain is missing.

The

> defects afflict about 2,500 babies annually in the United States,

plus

> an unknown number of miscarried fetuses.

>

> An estimated 10 percent of women of childbearing age are obese.

>

> " Considering the recent increase in obesity in the U.S. population, "

> Dr. L. Goldenberg and Dr. Tsunenobu Tamura of the University

of

> Alabama wrote in in an accompanying editorial, the findings " may

have

> important implications for the prevention of neural-tube defects. "

>

> The researchers who conducted the two studies offered no explanation

> for the apparent link between obesity and birth defects. But the

> Alabama doctors speculated that fat women might have some

abnormality

> in their metabolism or that unrecognized nutritional factors might

> play a role.

>

> In one study, researchers at Boston University found that women who

> weighed 176 to 195 pounds before pregnancy were about twice as

likely

> to have a child with a neural-tube defect as women who weighed 110

to

> 130 pounds. The increase was fourfold for women weighing 242 pounds

or

> more.

>

> The study involved 604 fetuses or infants with a neural-tube defect

> born to women participating in birth defects research in Boston,

> Philadelphia and Ontario, Canada.

>

> The researchers did not have information on how tall all the

> participants were, but believe the increased risk is associated only

> with obesity, said the lead author, Dr. Martha M. Werler, an

> epidemiologist. Large women whose weight is nevertheless appropriate

> for their height are not believed to run a higher risk.

>

> Dr. Werler and her colleagues also found that at least 400

micrograms

> of folic acid a day, the dose recommended by the Government for

women

> of childbearing age, reduced the risk of neural-tube defects by 40

> percent for children of women weighing less than 154 pounds. Folic

> acid did not reduce the risk in heavier women. Folic acid, a trace B

> vitamin, is found in citrus fruits and dark, leafy vegetables. It

has

> been shown to help prevent neural-tube defects when taken through

food

> or vitamin supplements.

>

> The finding is the first indication that folic acid may not offer

the

> same protection in obese women, Dr. Werler said. But researchers

have

> no clue why that is, she said, cautioning that the finding has to be

> confirmed.

>

> The second study involved 538 babies or fetuses found to have

> neural-tube defects from 1989 to 1991 in California. To determine

> obesity, that study measured body-mass index, a ratio of height to

> weight. For example, a 5-foot-6 woman weighing 185 pounds would

have a

> body-mass index of 29.9.

>

> Women with an index higher than 29 -- those who were considered

obese

> -- had twice the risk of having a baby with a neural-tube-defect

baby

> of other women, said researchers led by Dr. M. Shaw, an

> epidemiologist with the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program.

>

[Guest guest]

Unfortunately, yes. Remember the TV study?

Carolyn

>

> Fatty fatty Mom's a jerk, ate too much kids' brains don't work....

>

> Idiot researchers..... Leave the mothers alone. Yes, heavy women

might

> have kids with issues. So do thin women. So do short, tall, busty,

> flatsy, red headed, blonde, brunette and black haired women. Research

> has become ridiculous. I wonder if most people even pay attention to

> these studies.

>

[Guest guest]

Look back on the mutant song/Dr. Seuss parody thread from a week

ago. There were some research lists which even rhymed! A few of us

spent a whole day writing this stuff (as my kids tore the house

apart, fed each other, the walls, painted the cat...) and then

collapsed in a heap, so maybe you can squeeze some extra mileage out

of the poetic toil. ;-P

> > >

> > > Fatty fatty Mom's a jerk, ate too much kids'

> > brains don't work....

> > >

> > > Idiot researchers..... Leave the mothers alone.

> > Yes, heavy women

> > might

> > > have kids with issues. So do thin women. So do

> > short, tall, busty,

> > > flatsy, red headed, blonde, brunette and black

> > haired women. Research

> > > has become ridiculous. I wonder if most people

> > even pay attention to

> > > these studies.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

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