| ■ Michelle Obama Endorses Weight Guidelines for Moms-to-Be | 2010.05.14 |
| Women who stay at a healthy weight while pregnant and breast-feed after birth can help prevent childhood obesity, a U.S. government panel reports. First Lady Michelle Obama, who is leading a campaign against childhood obesity, released the panel's findings Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. In all, the panel made 70 recommendations aimed at reducing the life-threatening health risks associated with being overweight or obese. With one in three American children overweight or obese, children today may end up living shorter lives than their parents because of the high risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses associated with weight. The advisory report says the problem could be solved in a generation if childhood obesity rates dropped to 5 percent by 2030. A woman's weight before pregnancy and her weight gain during pregnancy help determine whether a child will become obese, studies have shown. Other studies have found that children who are breast-fed are 22 percent less likely to become obese. |