Obesity carries many risks for
women including increased lifetime
risks for type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular
disease, orthopedic disorders,
depression, and certain types of
cancer, particularly reproductive cancers.
Obesity in women does not just
affect their own health, but has a
direct bearing on the health of their
offspring, and possibly on future generations.3
The fetal origins of disease
(Barker) hypothesis suggests that the
weight and nutritional status of a
woman before and during pregnancy
can affect the long-term health of their
children through programming of the
adrenal-pituitary-hypothalamic axis
during gestation.4 These effects can
include increased risks for obesity,
hypertension, cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, and depression.4 The effects
of this fetal programming affect the
health of the individual, as well as
their reproductive function and outcomes,
thus altering the health of
future generations.