Description:
There has been a significant increase in overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age. The problem of overweight and obesity before, during, and after pregnancy is associated with both short and long-term risks for the mother and her child. These include but are not limited to an increased risks of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems. Despite an increasing awareness of this problem there has been little in the way of clinical improvement of these adverse outcomes.

In this webinar, we will discuss obesity trends in mothers and their newborns, excessive gestational weight gain and effects on fetal growth. We will briefly address the lifestyle in pregnancy trials and the effects of inadequate gestational weight gain on fetal growth. Lastly, we will propose a hypothesis as to how we may be able to move forward to address this issue.

Moderator:

Dr Lynne Ausman | Saqr Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Professor of International Nutrition, Tufts University
Dr. Lynne Ausman is the Saqr Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi Professor in International Nutrition, as well as a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. She has been an active investigator in USAID funded projects in Malawi, Uganda, Nepal, and most recently, in Jordan as part of the Feed the Future Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab. She has been active in experimental studies with humans on lipoprotein response to several vegetable oils, trans fats and soy protein, and the glycemic response as modified by various meal components. Most recently she has been examining the molecular mechanism of action of carotenoids (both provitamin A and non-provitamin A) against several chronic diseases.

Speaker:

Dr. Patrick Catalano, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Mother Infant and Research Institute of Tufts University School of Medicine
Patrick Catalano, M.D. is Chair emeritus, Department of Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University/MetroHealth Medical Center. He is currently Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Mother Infant and Research Institute of Tufts University School of Medicine. Doctor Catalano’s research interests include obesity, diabetes and metabolism in pregnancy. His research includes the longitudinal evaluation of women before and during and after pregnancy to determine the short and long-term effects maternal obesity and diabetes on both the mother and her offspring.