Overweight and obesity a risk factor for stillbirth

A recent review of the risk factors for women in high income countries having a stillborn baby has found overweight and obesity ( BMI >25) to be at the top of the list. Other factors contributing to stillbirths include maternal age ( >35 years), maternal smoking, giving birth to the first child, pregnancy disorders, pre-exisitng diabetes and hypertension.

Fortification of bread with iodine has not improved iodine status in pregnant women in Gippsland Victoria

A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia has shown that despite bread now being fortified with iodine, the iodine status of pregnant women in the Gippsland region of Victoria has not improved.  Iodine is important during pregnancy for the infant's developing brain and nervous system.

Vitamin D and Gestational Diabetes

Low vitamin D levels ( 25-hydroxyvitamin D) have been shown to be associated with poorer glucose control in women with gestational diabetes during their last trimester of pregnancy.  Following a Glucose Tolerance Test  (GTT) women with adequate vitamin D had lower fasting glucose, lower 1 hour glucose  and lower HbA1c levels.

Declining rates of overweight and obesity in Victorian preschoolers

A study undertaken by Deakin University has shown that between 1999 and 2007 the rates of overweight and obesity in Victorian preschoolers aged 2 years and 3 1/2 years has declined.