News and Opinion
There are stories relating to obesity breaking around the world every day. The stories below are those where journalists haver sought NOF opnion/quotes or summaries of research on which NOF may have a view. Where possible the source of the stories are identified by the newspaper banner or a URL in red.
NOF Opinion will always be identified in italics.
Caesarians and obesity
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 20 November 2011
Babies born by planned Caesarian Section [CS] are more likely to become obese than those born naturally according to Imperial College, London, researchers. Taking their cue from previously published literature they believe that the process of natural labour and passing through the birth canal programmes infants to metabolise fats properly. They are pursuing the hypothesis that if babies are not exposed to normal labour the normal metabolic development is distorted with significant overweight being a result.
Even with this literature in the public domain, NICE [The National Instute for Health and Clinical Excellence] announced on Wednesday November 23rd that all women should have the right to elect a CS delivery! One has to wonder whether NICE researchers had done their background reading or thought their guidance through. There are some 740,000 babies born in the UK every year and. if every mother-to-be took the NICE option, it could lead to the collapse of the NHS surgical services. NICE should reconsider. CS operations have, of course, their rightful role but placing itself open to all comers is not it.