Women have always blamed baby making for their weight problems, but their finger pointing has not always been believed.
UNTIL NOW
But a team of researchers from the University of Cincinnati have confirmed, more pregnancies for mouse moms, means more mouse.
And – what is good for the mouse, is probably good for wo-man too. So having three kids is a valid excuse !
Its not the baby count ….
Mouse moms are busy, one pregnancy can produce a pretty large brood of babes.
Lots of babes, all demanding attention, can cause a few grey hairs but
- it is not the mothering part of motherhood
- nor the grey hairs (aging),
- nor the tubs of ice cream eaten in worry
that puts on the weight. The number of pregnancies is what counts.
The researchers checked out the figures of lady mice.
Mice fats and figures
The “lady” mice included in the study, were all the same age and had all been fed the same amount and type of food. But the number of times they had been pregnant, differed.
Mice that had only had one litter (primiparous) were a lot skinnier than mice, who had been pregnant on four different occasions (multiparous).
In addition to having a little extra padding, up to 45 % extra, the multiparous animals also had a lot more inflammation happening inside their livers. Remember inflammation is what underpins lots of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Ouch !
Not just fat moms, but fat sons
The fatter mouse moms, managed to pass on their slightly porky status to their baby boys, as well.
Male offspring, from later pregnancies were decidedly fatter by the time they reached adulthood. The 40 % increase in fatness had nothing to do with bad dietary habits and only appeared in adulthood.
So being the last born son of a big family, might leave the odds stacked against you when it comes to weight management.
A weight problem not caused by “bad” genes but “bad” timing !
Of mice and men
The million dollar question is WHY ?
Pregnancy is stressful, at least metabolically speaking. The metabolic stresses leave a mark on moms and sons in mice. And men ?
Doubt this finding “explains” the current obesity epidemic, since family sizes are shrinking, as waist lines are expanding. But, it might explain why your waistline has expanded after each visit of the stork. It is not a failure of willpower, but a chemical fault.
The chemical whirlpool
Bearing a baby, is a monumental chemical undertaking – the creation of a brand new, absolutely unique human being, is a chemical miracle. But it is worth bearing in mind, that the chemistry doesn’t end when junior pops out.
The moment of birth, begins the battle to regain pre-pregnancy body chemistry. The operative word is BATTLE, you’re probably going to have to work on it, if you want to reclaim your girlish figure.
The 7 Big Spoons™ are a good place to begin.
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| Balance Eicosanoids | Rein in insulin | Dial down stress | Sleep ! | Increase Vit D | Culivate microflora | Think champion |
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Further reading
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| Are you passing on your stress to your kids | Proper staff management the secret to avoiding accumulating excess fat | Give your fat cells a bottle to pacify them |
Hire Dr Sandy from a Spoonful of Science to be the keynote speaker at your next event.
Did you learn something new or do you have a different perspective ? I’d love to hear from you so post me a comment below