Birth Weight

Chewing gum containing xylitol before conception and during pregnancy was associated with reduced preterm birth and low birth weight deliveries for women in Malawi, according to cluster-randomized trial data published in Med.

Worldwide, mean birth weight at term has increased by more than 7 g each year — a total of about 1 lb — since 1950, according to a systematic literature review published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Men who had a lower birth weight followed by overweight during young adulthood have a greatly increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes vs. those with normal weight at those times, according to study results published in Diabetologia.

Exposure to phthalates may have contributed to 56,595 preterm births, resulting in an additional $3.84 billion in health care costs in the U.S. during 2018, according to study data.

Exposure to phthalates may have contributed to 56,595 preterm births, resulting in an additional $3.84 billion in health care costs in the U.S. during 2018, according to study data.

In utero cannabis exposure was linked to increased risks for low birth weight, small for gestational age, preterm birth and NICU admission, researchers reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Infants who were exposed to cannabis in utero have increased risks for being born prematurely, having a low birth weight and requiring NICU care compared with nonexposed infants, researchers reported in Addiction.

Pregnant women who lived near forests and parks had reduced odds for low birth weight, which may also decrease the risk for poor infant lung health, according to a presentation at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

WASHINGTON — Birth weight influences lung function and airway responsiveness beyond changes in lung size, according to data presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Mothers who contract COVID-19 during pregnancy are more likely to have infants with a lower birth weight and greater weight gain during the first year of life compared with mothers who did not have COVID-19, according to study data.