Study Links Maternal Obesity to Impaired Brain Development in Premature Infants

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center reveals that maternal obesity may contribute to cognitive impairment in extremely premature babies.

“Although in the past decade, medical advances have improved the survival rate of babies born at less than seven months, they are still at very high risk for mental developmental delays compared with full-term infants,” says Jennifer Helderman, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the study. “This study shows that obesity doesn’t just affect the mother’s health, but might also affect the development of the baby.” For more information, click here to read the full release.