High Birthweight Could Cause Health Risks

It has long been believed that giving birth to a large baby meant that it was a healthy baby. However, researchers are learning more and more about the truth behind this belief. Researchers also know that being born too small or with a lower birthweight, can also cause some health issues. Many studies have been conducted over the past few years that have focused on the correlation between high birthweights and other health issues later in life. Researchers are now finding out that having a higher birthweight can also cause significant health risks as well. Health risks that these infants are believed to be subject to include obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
High Birthweight Could Cause Health Risks Although it has been said that having
Researchers have studied babies that were born with below normal, normal, and above normal birthweights and have concluded that being born with a higher birthweight can contribute to the overwhelming problem of obesity. Researchers are calling the babies with higher birthweights, large-for-gestational age (LGA) infants (Cnattinguis, et. al., 2011, p.1320). It is well known that obesity has become a significant problem in today’s times. It is also well known that obesity can put one at a greater risk of other significant health problems. One study conducted in 2011, evaluated the correlation between women who were born with a higher birthweight, or LGA women, and their adult body mass index (BMI). These researchers evaluated birthweights and BMI’s of approximately 150,000 women and their first born children (Cnattinguis, et. al., 2011, p. 1320). This study concluded that “Large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants are at an increased risk of becoming overweight adults” (Cnattinguis, et. al., 2011, p.1320). Researchers also believe that this could cause a cycle of overweight women. If women born with a higher birthweight are giving birth to bigger babies with higher birthweights, then their children have a higher risk of being obese and later giving birth to heavier babies as well. This could cause the growing problem of obesity to just continue to get worse. The study also
Another group of researchers evaluated the correlation between being born with a higher birthweight and developing diabetes later in life. This group of researchers collected data from a number of other studies that were conducted between 1966 and 2005. The studies evaluated were conducted all over the world and studied people born between 1924 and 1997. The studies evaluated how many cases of diabetes were reported later in life from people that were born with a higher birthweight. The research from the other studies conducted concluded that “high birthweight was associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes to the same extent as low birthweight” (Dudenhausen, et. al., 2006, p. 852). People born with a higher birthweight are put at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes later in their lives. The researchers also concluded that “risk of type 2 diabetes increased with increasing birthweight” (Dudenhausen, et. al., 2006, p. 853). People born with a higher birthweight are put at an increased risk for diabetes and the risk continues to increase with birthweight increasing. However, diabetes can also be prevented to some extent. By eating healthy and exercising regularly, diabetes can be avoided to some extent much like obesity can be avoided with the proper diet and