Prepregnancy Obesity Linked to Higher Midlife Cardiovascular Risks
A new study underscores the importance of weight management before pregnancy and highlights gaps in understanding other contributing factors to heart disease later in life.
- Research involving 4,269 women across nine countries over a median of 12 years shows prepregnancy obesity significantly raises midlife cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, triglycerides, and HbA1c levels.
- Adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, partially mediate this link but explain only a small portion of the association.
- The findings emphasize weight management before pregnancy as a key strategy to improve both maternal and long-term cardiovascular health.
- Editorial commentary highlights the potential role of postpartum weight changes and emerging anti-obesity medications in mitigating cardiovascular risks, though these remain underexplored in clinical trials.
- Researchers call for further investigation into additional factors influencing the obesity-heart disease connection and interventions targeting early pregnancy cardiovascular health.
Medical Xpress 
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