Gain Less Pregnancy Weight If Obese: Docs

Toddlers with poor relationships with mom may suffer in terms of health

(NEWSER) - Most parents have gotten an "I hate you!" tossed their way. But if your toddler really seems to mean it, Mom, you may want to figure out how to improve the relationship. A study set to be published next month found that toddlers who were ranked as having the worst emotional relationship with their moms were more than twice as likely to be obese at age 15 than those with a good relationship, reports the Daily Mail . More»

Third-grader weighs more than 200 pounds

(NEWSER) - Last month, an 8-year-old Ohio boy was removed from his family home and placed in foster care—not because of physical abuse, but because the third-grader weighed more than 200 pounds. County case workers argued that the boy’s mother was engaging in medical neglect by not getting his weight under control, and say his weight puts him in danger of developing serious health conditions. But some say the whole thing smacks of hypocrisy, particularly when the same government that removed the boy also deemed pizza a vegetable for the purposes of school lunches. It’s “a schizophrenic stance,” one medical ethics professor tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer . More»

Holidays, relationships, and quitting smoking among the dangers

(NEWSER) - With Americans continuing to get bigger and bigger , we need all the help we can get to stay healthy—so the Daily Beast offers a warning on 15 things that might cause you to pack on the pounds:

• Holiday season: With all the food, stress, and booze associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, the holidays account for 51% of all weight gained during the year.
• Quitting smoking: Men are especially at risk here, with an 8% chance of adding more than 28 pounds after giving up tobacco. Women get off easier, with just a 6% chance.

A hundred obese, pregnant women sign up for trial

(NEWSER) - Is in utero too soon to start taking anti-obesity drugs? A group of scientists are putting that question to the test; they’re giving a hundred obese pregnant women the diabetes drug Metformin. It won't help the moms lose weight, but it should limit the amount of sugar they pass along to junior, the Telegraph reports. Doctors are hoping that’ll lead to smaller babies, which in turn should lead to fewer C-sections and fewer cases of pre-eclampsia, a complication that often strikes overweight moms. More»

Move is designed to curb obesity

(NEWSER) - Soon, if you want to be an "A" student in Malaysia, you'll have to study and exercise hard. Schools across the country will add students' body mass index alongside their usual grades in a bid to curb childhood obesity, the country's health minister says. The move is just the latest step in a government anti-obesity campaign that has included banning junk food and sugary drinks from school cafeterias, the AP reports. The health ministry estimates 25% of Malaysia's children are overweight and 10% are obese. More»