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Obese moms have asthmatic kids

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As if you needed another reason to not be obese, here is yet another. A recent study analyzed nearly 4,000 children in a study called “Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy” (PIAMA). The study followed these children over a span of eight years and found that those with obese mothers were more likely to develop asthma within the first eight years of their lives than those whose mothers were in good health.

The study was conducted by Jet Smit, Ph.D. and fellow colleagues of the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands and was announced at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego on May 19.

With obesity on the rise, this study has the potential to drastically decrease the onset of asthma for future generations. Of the children studied, one out of five of their mothers were clinically obese. This increased their risk of developing asthma by 65 percent the time they reached eight years of age.

In the study, asthma was defined as “at least one episode of wheeze and/or dyspnea and/or a prescription for inhaled corticosteroids in the last year.”

According to Dr. Smit, obesity discourages anti-inflammatory agents in the body, and because it consists of adipose tissue, there is an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokins. Because of the inflammation in the body, it affects the immunological and pulmonary development of the fetus, which leads to a greater risk of asthma.

Take this as a reminder ladies: take care of yourself, especially during pregnancy. The health of your child is at risk from your choices.

andrea @ June 2, 2009

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