Paging Dr. Thornton » obesity

Dance Your Way to Fitness?

yvonnethornton — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:25:12 +0000

I read a press release the other day from the University of Illinois at Chicago where researcher David Marquez is conducting a study. He plans to get older Latinos out on the dance floor to determine whether doing the mambo, merengue and cha-cha-cha will help them stay fit, and perhaps avoid obesity, diabetes and other ills of a sedentary lifestyle.

While the results won’t yet be in for a while, I whole-heartedly endorse the premise. A number of years ago, I had gained a lot of weight, was overworked and was getting little exercise. Then I signed up for ballroom dancing classes. Not only did I have a blast (winning a dance contest along the way), but I whittled down my waistline while doing it. Other studies have shown that ballroom dancing can also benefit your mental fitness and decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

So, if you’re bored with exercise machines, and if jogging just isn’t your thing, put on your dancing shoes and go. Unless your doctor advises against physically challenging activity, I can’t think of a better, more fun-filled fitness routine.

See you on the dance floor.

- Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH

More media attention for the study

yvonnethornton — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:20:25 +0000

Forbes reports on my study, showing that obese pregnant women should limit weight gain as does Medline.

Other media outlets giving the study prominent coverage are United Press International, Yahoo News, The Baltimore Sun, US News and World Report, and even the Times of India.

- Yvonne S. Thornton

My study on obesity and pregnancy in the news

yvonnethornton — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:20:26 +0000

I’m pleased to see that the media is getting the word out: obese pregnant women should be eating healthier diets and limiting their weight gain.

In the past few days, I’ve been interviewed by a number of news organizations about the study. You can see some of the reports at the following links:

WebMd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Science Daily

The Los Angeles Times

and Health Day

- Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH

Study’s author concerned that new guidelines for pregnant obese women don’t go far enough

yvonnethornton — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:00:55 +0000

You may have read the headlines last week that The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is changing its guidelines for obese pregnant women. Instead of recommending that women who are obese gain at least 15 pounds during pregnancy, the IOM now recommends a weight gain of 11 to 20 pounds.

It’s a start. But, as the lead researcher of a new study of obese women, pregnancy and weight gain, I’m concerned that obese women are being told to gain any weight.

My study, which is being published today in the Journal of the National Medical Association, found that obese pregnant women who followed a well-balanced diet and gained little or no weight had maternal-fetal outcomes that were equal to or better than those who gained substantial weight.

As a specialist in high-risk pregnancies who has delivered more than 5,500 babies over a 35-year career and supervised the delivery of 12,000 more, I wasn’t surprised by the findings of our study. I know that those extra pounds mean extra risks for both mother and baby. Obesity greatly increases the chance of developing complications in pregnancy such as preeclampsia, stillbirth, and blood clots, among others.

Twenty-three of the more than 200 obese women in our study lost weight. The average weight gained was just 11 pounds. And yet, these women and their babies were at least as healthy as those who put on substantial pounds. There were fewer babies weighing 10 pounds or more, fewer cesareans, and the mothers were less likely to develop gestational diabetes.

You can read more about the study, here.

So, if you’re carrying significant extra weight, forget the old adage about eating for two. Believe it or not, for a pregnant woman of normal weight, only an additional 300 calories per day is needed during her pregnancy – the equivalent to a quart of skimmed milk per day.

- Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH