HHS HealthBeat (May 04, 2007)

Losing the pregnancy weight

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Losing pregnancy weight works for some women but not others. Emily Oken of Harvard Medical School reviewed survey data and found some things that make a big difference in keeping the weight or not.

Oken says women who watched more TV, ate foods with more trans fats, and were less active were more likely to keep the weight.

Being active was important. Oken says an hour a day of walking cut about a third off the odds of having about 11 extra pounds one year after giving birth.

``Women don’t need to have vigorous physical activity after giving birth to lose the weight that they gain during pregnancy. And walking is a very easy behavior to do, pushing the baby in a stroller – or on a treadmill. (8 seconds)

Oken’s research, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May, 04 2007