Pregnancy diet could increase the risk of cancer in offspring

Previous research has linked alcohol, smoking during pregnancy to mental and physical development problems and low birth weight to heart disease in adulthood. New research is suggesting a link between birth weight and the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and testicular cancer during adulthood. Babies over 8.8 pounds at birth (or over the 90th percentile weight for their gestational week) face a greater risk of these cancers. Increased birth weight is also linked to a greater risk of acute myeloid leukemia in babies to young adults. Animal studies link high fat diet of mothers during pregnancy to increased risk of breast cancer in their female children. Thus, it is important that women don't gain more than the recommended 15 to 25 pounds during their pregnancy and they should maintain a healthy diet during the entire pregnancy. The reason for the increased risk of cancer could be due to the fact that larger babies have more cells that could potentially mutate or a mother's large weight gain could expose the fetus to extra growth hormones at a time when cells are already dividing very quickly.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Red Nova

Related Disease Topics:

• Cancer
• Smoking
• Alcoholism
• Pregnancy
• Mental development problems
• Physical development problems
• Low birth weight
• Heart disease
• Breast cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Testicular cancer
• High birth weight
• Acute myeloid leukemia

Article Source Details

About: Pregnancy diet could increase the risk of cancer in offspring

Date: 27 December 2004

Source: Red Nova

URL: http://www.rednova.com/news/display/?id=114442

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Diet
• Research
• Research and cancer
• Research and smoking
• Research and alcoholism
• Research and pregnancy
• Research and mental development problems
• Research and physical development problems
• Research and low birth weight
• Research and heart disease
• Research and breast cancer
• Research and prostate cancer
• Research and testicular cancer
• Research and high birth weight
• Research and acute myeloid leukemia
• Cause of cancer
• Cause of smoking
• Cause of alcoholism
• Cause of pregnancy
• Cause of mental development problems
• Cause of physical development problems
• Cause of low birth weight
• Cause of heart disease
• Cause of breast cancer
• Cause of prostate cancer
• Cause of testicular cancer
• Cause of high birth weight
• Cause of acute myeloid leukemia
• Risk and cancer
• Risk and smoking
• Risk and alcoholism
• Risk and pregnancy
• Risk and mental development problems
• Risk and physical development problems
• Risk and low birth weight
• Risk and heart disease
• Risk and breast cancer
• Risk and prostate cancer
• Risk and testicular cancer
• Risk and high birth weight
• Risk and acute myeloid leukemia

More News Topics

Search Specialists by State and City