In the last three decades, the proportion of children and adults who are obese or overweight has increased rapidly in the United States and other developed countries. Moreover, the frequency of obesity is now increasing in developing countries such as China. This increase is of great concern because obesity is associated with a wide range of metabolic abnormalities and an increased risk of many different types of diseases.It is well known that thin or malnourished mothers have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, it is not as widely recognized that maternal obesity is also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature on these associations.
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