Obese Moms May Overfeed Babies

Obese mothers may be more likely to overfeed their infants and interact with them less, according to new research.

Although it was a very small study involving only seven mothers and their infants, researchers say the results indicate that the way obese mothers feed and interact with their babies may increase the risk of childhood obesity in later years.

The study showed that the obese mothers fed their children more calorie-rich food and spent less time feeding them and interacting with them than normal-weight women during a 24-hour monitoring period.

Researchers say the role of parents, especially mothers, in controlling the diet of infants is critical in preventing obesity later in life, but this is the first study to look at whether a mother's own weight may affect how she feeds or interacts with her baby.

Infant Overfeeding May Lead to Childhood Obesity

In the study, researchers monitored four obese and three normal-weight women with their 4- to 5-month-old babies for 24 hours.

The women interacted with and fed their children as they would normally using normal milk formula and complementary solid foods. All of the babies also had the same average weight, burned calories at same rate (metabolic rate), had similar physical activity levels, and used the same average energy over the 24 hours.

The study showed that three out of four of the obese mothers fed their babies an average of 8.8 more calories per pound of body weight, which translates to 145 additional calories for the average 16.5-pound infant, than the normal-weight mothers. Most of these extra calories came from carbohydrates consumed as complementary feedings, as protein and fat intakes were similar between the two groups.

Researchers also found that the 24-hour calorie intake of the infants increased as the weight of the mother increased.

The obese mothers also spent less time feeding their babies and less time playing or interacting with them. For example, the obese mothers spent an average of 381 minutes interacting with their babies, while normal-weight mothers averaged 570 minutes. As a result, the children of obese mothers spent more time sleeping.

"Though there were a small number of infants studied the results suggest that differences do exist on how mothers interact with their infants, depending on their body composition," write researcher Russell Rising of EMTAC Inc. in Coral Gables, Fla., and colleagues in the current issue of Nutrition Journal.

They conclude that "excess energy consumption early in an infant's life of those born to obese mothers, possibly accelerated with complementary food intake, might set the stage for future childhood obesity."

By Jennifer Warner
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
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