Weight loss surgery prior to pregnancy can reduce the risk of obesity and related metabolic disorders in babies born after the mother undergoes the procedure, research shows.
Can a woman’s weight loss surgery have an impact on babies she gives birth to afterward? The answer is yes, according to a study presented at the recent conference of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Dr. Picard Marceau of Laval University in Quebec noted that women who had bariatric surgery are more likely to have children who did not have obesity-related metabolic disorders than obese women who did not have the surgery.
As these children grew older, they had better glucose, insulin and lipid levels. These children also had a lower rate of obesity.
When comparing children the women had before surgery with those they had after surgery, doctors noted significant differences. For example, children born after the mother had bariatric surgery accumulated belly fat at a much slower rate.
And while just 17 percent of the children born after their moms had weight loss surgery were obese, a whopping 49% of the children born before their moms had weight loss surgery were obese.
Dr. Marceau believes that these findings can impact the battle against obesity on several fronts.
First is changing the emphasis on lack of nutrition during pregnancy to a focus on avoiding over-eating.
Another way is letting overweight women know that losing even a small amount of weight before becoming pregnant can positively impact the child’s health.
Dr. Marceau concluded that when it comes to weight loss surgery, “Surgery before pregnancy is a good option.”
