More on Preventing Childhood Obesity!
Rachael Blum of Santa Monica, CA, has alerted us to an excellent article in the New England Journal of Medicine concerning the evidence for the role of exercise in pregnancy in helping prevent childhood obesity: http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=3321&query=home. Rachael, our newest DTP family member, has also alerted us to an LA Times article on this subject: LA Times article.
With the recent emphasis on the importance of movement in the fight against childhood obesity, there is recognition that beneficial fetal programming through maternal exercise can make a big contribution to this effort. A combination of proper maternal nutrition and maternal fitness may well prove to be most efficient and potentially effective way to help children develop an appetite for motion!
One factor in this is the finding that regular, moderate-intensity exercise helps prevent obesity in the newborn: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_97212.htmlt. This, may in turn, help prevent childhood obesity.
Recess for everyone!!!