Dieting and exercising is far healthier than ‘eating for two’ during pregnancy, doctors have warned.
Evidence from 11,444 women suggests that systematically trying to reduce weight gain can have a positive impact on the health of a mother and her baby.
All women put on weight during pregnancy as their baby grows.
But doctors say that gaining too much weight increases the risk of a women getting high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.
The child is also more likely to be born obese, raising the chance of a birth by Caesarean section.
Now the first major review of advice for three years suggests that women who actively try to reduce their weight gain have a better chance of having a good pregnancy and a healthy baby.
The review, published last night by the influential Cochrane Library, incorporated evidence from 37 studies published over the last three years.
A previous review, published in 2012, found only inconclusive evidence that dietary and exercise programmes had beneficial effects for pregnant women and their babies.
But the updated evidence, compiled by the World Health Organisation and Khon Kaen University in Thailand, found that low-sugar diets and exercise programmes had a significant impact.
Of those who started a diet or regularly exercising during pregnancy, only 36 per cent of pregnant women put on excessive weight, compared to 45 per cent who took no action at all.
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