Get into shape before pregnancy
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 39, Issue 2.
According to statistics, one in five pregnancies currently ends in miscarriage. But if you're overweight that is with a BMI of between 25 and 30 you are more likely to miscarry than a woman with a normal BMI of between 18 and 24.9, say scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings were recently presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual convention in San Francisco.
Experts believe that most miscarriages are caused by chromosome abnormalities. However, after performing genetic analyses on 204 miscarriages,the Stanford research team discovered 36.6 per cent of the miscarriages in women with a BMI of less than 25 had no genetic defects. In women with a BMI of between 25 and 30, however, the number of genetically “normal”miscarriages rose to 52.9 per cent. Obesity is already recognised as a risk factor for miscarriage. Only recently, researchers from London's St Mary's Hospital speaking at a Canadian conference announced that recurrent miscarriage might be caused by having a BMI of 30 or above.
This latest study, however, says you don't have to be obese only overweight(or even slightly overweight) to increase your risk of having a miscarriage. The reason, say the scientists, may be down to raised hormone levels, which may be the result of insulin resistance caused by excess weight.
Natural weight loss
As a result of their study the Stanford researchers are recommending that women who are overweight or even just slightly heavier than they should be lose weight before trying to start a family.
Tests show that P57 is a potent appetite suppressor that sends signals to the brain to suggest fullness (Brain Research, September 2004). Trials (unpublished)show that taking hoodia gordonii could help lower your calorie intake by as much as 40 percent a day.
