According to a study published in the Endocrine Societys Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, infants born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy are more likely to develop obesity. The findings of the study showed that children exposed to maternal COVID during pregnancy showed lower birth weight and lower birth Body Mass Index (BMI), but accelerated postnatal weight gain compared with those unexposed.

For the next five years, millions of newborns will be exposed to maternal infection throughout fetal development because approximately 9% of reproductive-age women with COVID-19 are pregnant.The researchers compared the data collected for 130 newborns whose mothers did not have a prenatal infection with 150 babies whose mothers had COVID-19 during pregnancy. An increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in children and adults has been linked to these alterations.

According to Lindsay T., the lead author of the study, the results indicate that infants exposed in utero to mother COVID-19 have a changed developmental pattern in early life that may eventually raise their risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1065359 )