Putting on weight during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause the foetus to have excess fat distribution in the upper arms and abdomen, new research has revealed.
Scientists are urging pregnant women to implement weight management strategies in the first trimester to combat their babies from developing obesity-related complications in the future, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
In the trial, the team of researchers examined the health of data and 3D ultrasound scans of roughly 2,600 pregnancies.
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They discovered that women who gain 4.4 pounds of weight in the first trimester were more likely to have foetuses with larger abdominal circumference and abdominal area than those with adequate weight gain.
In addition, the women with excessive weight gain in the first trimester had foetuses with larger foetal arm fat thickness compared to those with minimum weight gain, the study has reported.
Prior research has only looked at weight gain across an entire pregnancy, not specifically in the first trimester.
“The findings suggest that the timing of weight gain, instead of total weight gain, could be important for developing efforts to prevent excess foetal size and reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions later in life,” said the authors.
Read the study in full in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
