Recent studies: Obese mothers give birth to obese children

Researchers have reported that children whose mothers follow a healthy lifestyle are less likely to be obese compared to their peers.

Chi Sun, from T.T. College, said: H. Chan" of Harvard University Public Health in Boston, "A healthy lifestyle not only helps adults improve their health and reduces the risk of chronic diseases, but may also have health benefits for their children."

Mothers have a strong influence on their children's lifestyle choices, but it was not known whether their healthy lifestyle affects their children's obesity.

The study team led by Sun focused on the risk of obesity between the ages of nine and 18 years.
The team identified five lifestyle factors that reduce the risk of obesity, including: eating healthy foods, having a body mass index in the normal range, not smoking, and being physically active for at least 150 minutes a week.

The study's authors said, in the journal (BMJ), that all factors related to the mothers' lifestyle other than a healthy diet are closely linked to a lower risk of obesity in their children.

The risk of childhood obesity decreased with each additional factor of healthy lifestyle followed by mothers, and even decreased by 23 percent when the mother followed three healthy lifestyle behaviors.

The study indicates that children were 75% less likely to be obese among those whose mothers followed the five healthy lifestyles than those whose mothers did not follow.