(MSNBC) 12 April 2007:

A provocative new Harvard Medical School study suggests that even accepted weight gains may raise the risk of having an overweight toddler.

Women in the study who gained the recommended amount of weight ran four times the risk of having a child who was overweight at age 3, compared to women who gained less than the advised amount.

Researchers found that about half the mothers gained more weight during pregnancy than the guidelines called for, while about a third met the recommended gain. The remaining 14 percent gained less weight than recommended.

Poor health habits shared between mother and child doesn’t account for the outcome, and while the women in the study generally had health insurance and were well-educated, studies of other groups are finding similar results, said Dr. Emily Oken, the study’s lead author.