Mental Health News
Researchers at the Endocrine Society explored how pregnant women with obesity and diabetes are more likely to give birth to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study is published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The Study
The researchers surveyed 1,036 children born to women with gestational diabetes, maternal obesity, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
The Findings
The results revealed that both diabetes and obesity constitute prominent risk factors for ADHD in children. In fact, children born from obese pregnant women are greatly vulnerable to several mental health disorders.
Elaborating on the need to formulate health interventions for pregnant women to avoid the birth of a child with ADHD, one of the lead researchers, Dr. Verónica Perea, elaborated: “It’s important for clinicians to counsel their patients on the importance of healthy weight gain during pregnancy.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Perea, V., Simó-Servat, A., Quirós, C., Alonso-Carril, N., Valverde, M., Urquizu, X., Amor, A. J., López, E., & Barahona, M. J. (2022). Role of Excessive Weight Gain During Gestation in the Risk of ADHD in Offspring of Women With Gestational Diabetes. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, dgac483. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgac483