Pregnant? Don't eat for two!

"Eating for two" is a euphemism for pregnancy to some, just like "with child", "knocked up", "a bun in the oven" and many others. Most women know now that it is not actually necessary to eat for two in other words to eat twice as much while they are gestating their babies. But a new study shows that eating large amounts of food may actually be harmful, including lowering a child's IQ. Do you want to know more? Read on!

Researchers looked at data regarding maternal weight during pregnancy from around the world, and published their findings in the international journal Obesity Reviews. Their conclusions were shocking. Apparently, children whose mothers were obese during pregnancy have a higher chance of having a low IQ, developing eating disorders, psychosis, and ADHD. And the problems are not limited to early childhood, but carry on well into adulthood. One of the studies that were reviewed, from McMaster University, in Ontario Canada, found that children of obese mothers had IQ that were five points lower on average. Japanese research found that every single BMI point extra during early pregnancy increased a person's chance of developing schizophrenia later in life by 24 percent!

The researchers said they were not certain what causes all these risks, and also admitted that they had difficulty filtering out other reasons behind these risks, like socio-economic factors. Something that is clear is that being active physically, having a healthy weight, and eating well is a good way to enter a pregnancy. What do you think about these new findings? Does it change the way you view pregnancy weight gain? Do you have any criticisms on the newly published study? Either way, we would love to hear your opinions please feel free to leave a comment.