foodconsumer.org: NUTRITION NOTES:Weight Gain in Pregnancy: How Much, How Little?

NUTRITION NOTES:Weight Gain in Pregnancy: How Much, How Little?
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admin on 08/18/2009 11:03:00
 
NUTRITION NOTES
August 10, 2009 Contact: Mya R. Nelson, (202) 328-7744
Weight Gain in Pregnancy: How Much, How Little?
Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN
American Institute for Cancer Research
With new guidelines issued for weight gain during pregnancy, you may wonder
whether the concern is women gaining too much or not enough. The answer is both.
An eating disorder in which women are so afraid of weight gain that they reduce
calorie consumption and exercise excessively puts their babies at risk. However,
in the United States, the far more common problem is gaining too much weight
during pregnancy, which can lead to short- and long-term risks for both mother
and baby.
There’s no single perfect weight gain figure for all women but there are
general guidelines. Yet some estimates say that as many as 70 percent of women
do not keep weight gain within recommended boundaries.
Too little and too much gain both risky
Gaining more than 35 pounds puts normal weight women at increased risk for
cesarean delivery, high birth weight babies and possibly preeclampsia. An
American Institute for Cancer Research report found that baby girls of higher
birth weight are probably more likely than those born at normal weight to
develop premenopausal breast cancer as adults. Mothers are also likely to retain
extra weight after pregnancy, raising their risk of a variety of health
problems.
Gaining too little weight is also an immediate and long-term concern. Distorted
body image views and books and Web sites promoting overly restrictive food
choices may lead some women to gain unhealthfully little. Low birth weight
babies are more vulnerable to infections and face increased risk of death and
disease and also increased risk in adulthood of heart disease and diabetes.
For most women, the new recommendations don’t change their weight gain target,
just the emphasis on achieving it. Underweight women (BMI less than 18.5) should
gain 28 to 40 pounds during pregnancy; normal-weight women (whose BMI falls
between 18.5 and 24.9) should gain 25 to 35 pounds; and overweight women (with
BMI 25 to 29.9) should gain 15 to 25 pounds. Women carrying twins have higher
weight gain targets.
New recommendations for obese women
The major change in recommended weight gain is for the estimated 28 percent of
women of childbearing age who are now obese. Defined by a body mass index of 30
or more, at 5 feet 5 inches, this includes women 180 pounds and over.
Once urged to gain at least 15 pounds during pregnancy, experts now recommend
obese women gain 11 to 20 pounds by eating a balanced diet (which may mean 2000
to 3500 calories a day). These women have fewer cesarean deliveries, develop
diabetes or hypertension during pregnancy less often, retain less weight after
birth, and are less likely to have a high birth weight baby compared to those
who gain more.
Recommending more attention to weight before and during pregnancy
Because excessive weight gains are so common, the recommendations’ report
emphasizes that women should aim to conceive while at a normal BMI and gain
within the guidelines during pregnancy. More than half of U.S. women ages 20 to
39 are overweight or obese. In pregnancy, obese women are more likely than
normal weight women to face gestational diabetes and hypertension,
pre-eclampsia, birth defects, cesarean delivery and excessively large babies.
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The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that
fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight
management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the
public about the results. It has contributed more than $87 million for
innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers
across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the
accumulated research in the field and is committed to a process of continuous
review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions
of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its
award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and
on its Web site, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research
Fund International.