High Blood Pressure in Mothers Linked to Childhood Obesity

Hypertensive disorders during pregnancy affect children’s obesity risk, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers followed 88,406 mother-child pairs and tracked blood pressure measurements. Mothers with higher blood pressure readings during the second and third trimesters increased overweight and obesity risk in their children by 49 percent and 14 percent, respectively. The authors suggest clinicians monitor blood pressure throughout pregnancy, as results also showed changes in blood pressure between the first and third trimesters affected children’s obesity risk.