A connection between obesity and abnormal hearts, legs, arms and backs...

Ukmedix News has written articles about how having too much extra fat can put you in a higher risk bracket for many hundreds of health problems such as cardio disease, strokes, cancer and many more. We keep on learning of new illnesses that are aggravated and made more likely by obesity and recently we came across a study done by the University of Texas which shows that women who have weight problems before they conceive are much more probable to have children who end up with a number of birth defects such as abnormal hearts and limbs that are missing.

The data that was collected by questioning over 15,000 mothers over a number of years saw that there was a statistically significant connection between obesity and abnormally developed hearts, legs, arms and backs. The researchers also noted that the incidence of the condition called Spina Bifida was higher in mothers who were obese. Spina Bifida is very serious conditions in which the spine does not develop properly and can mean that the children end up unable to walk and even have difficulties learning.

Incidentally Spina Bifida is the most common birth defect at the moment in the United States where obesity and overweight rates combined are now approaching 70 percent. Women who are thinking of getting pregnant should also be told that being obese means that they have a bigger chance of suffering from a miscarriage and may having problems conceiving.

Sometimes we think at Ukmedix News that there is not one single disease or condition which is not made worse by being obese or overweight. On the other hand however there are many different things that can cause birth defects and being obese is not the only one. It is essential that expectant mothers do not drink alcohol to excess, that they do not smoke and that they eat healthily and get lots of rest.