A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that excessive weight gain in the first trimester of pregnancy may contribute to increased fat accumulation in the fetus, particularly in the abdominal area and upper arms.
The role of vitamin D in pregnancy is an example of work by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, investigating human development.
Dr Nobuhiko Hayashi from The Fetal Medicine Foundation Japan, underlines the importance of improving the health of pregnant women and their babies through fetal medicine research and training.
Drs Yuping Wang and David F. Lewis from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Shreveport, discuss the impact of vitamin D deficiency and aberrant vitamin D receptor expression on endothelial function in preeclampsia.
Dr Andrew Bremer, a Paediatric Endocrinologist and Chief of the Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, details NICHD-supported research on vitamin D in pregnancy and early childhood development.
