When you are pregnant, you feel much less guilty about giving in to sweet or savory cravings since you think that Baby also benefits. However, the habit of eating for two – which suits some of us well when it comes to taking extra squares of chocolate, it must be admitted – would not be normal and could even be dangerous. for the child. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the National Academy of Medicine of the United States (abbreviated “IoM” in VO) on 905 mother/child pairs residing in Hong Kong. Indeed, gaining too much weight during pregnancy is tantamount to exposing the child to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, fetal macrosomia (a weight that exceeds 4 kilos at term and which can lead to birth difficulties) and finally a high BMI responsible for cardio-metabolic risks. It's scary… Analyzes have shown that women who gained more weight than the IoM recommends gave birth to babies with high blood pressure and impaired blood sugar control. Similarly, gaining less weight than recommended can have the same effects on Baby's health.
Weight gain between the very beginning of pregnancy and childbirth was on average 15 kilos among the mothers observed. 41% of them gained more weight while 17% gained less weight than the IoM advised. 42% managed to maintain the recommended weight. Professor Wing Hung Tam behind the study tells The Independent that it is crucial to educate expectant mothers on the consequences of weight gain during pregnancy and to reject the “eating for two” theory. “The most important thing is to get the message across that eating for two can lead to complications. Pregnancy involves 300 more calories per day than usual. Women should follow a balanced diet to stay within this average […] and exercise moderately to avoid gaining too much weight ". It is well noted ! Ladies, we are careful not to succumb to all the gourmet temptations we have under our noses...
