London: Moms-to-be, please note — eating for two can harm your baby, for researchers have found that women who consume too much during pregnancy raises risk of low IQ, eating disorders and psychosis in their children.
An international team has found that the risks were increased not just in the early years but also in adolescence, and in adulthood when the risk of disorders like schizophrenia was increased.
The findings, published in international journal ‘Obesity Reviews’, examined researches from across across the world on the impact of maternal weight on child development.
One study found that every increased unit in the pregnant woman’s Body Mass Index (BMI) — calculated as her weight in kilogrammes divided by the square of her height in metres — was linked to a “significantly” reduced IQ in child.
Overall, the average IQ of children of obese mothers was five points lower than those born to mothers of healthy weight, according to the study, one of 12 examined by the researchers at McMaster University, in Ontario Canada. (PTI)