A recent study conducted on 40,000 mothers and their babies found that 1-in-5 women gain too much weight during pregnancy, which doubles the chances of their babies gaining 9-pounds or more.

The findings of the research by Dr. Hillier M.D., of Kaiser Permanente Northwest and colleagues have been published  in the November issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The research also found these babies are prone to obesity later in life.

"The take-home message is that all pregnant women need to watch their weight gain and it is especially important for women who have risk factors like gestational diabetes," said Dr Hiller

Soon after banning smoking in public places, liquor advertisements are next on the Health Ministry's radar, with Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramados pushing the Civil Aviation Ministry to remove the 'grandiose' display of advertisements of alcoholic drinks in airports, including the duty free shops.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said diabetes doubled in the last decade, and obesity is the reason for the increase.

Affecting more than 23 million Americans, diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the US, with more than a million and a half new cases diagnosed just last year. The highest rates were seen in the South with West Virginia being the worst hit where 13 in a 1000 adults were diagnosed with the disease in the years 2005-07.  Minnesota was the best off with 5 in a 1000 with the disease.

An FDA advisory panel ruled yesterday that the Food and Drug Administration was wrong when it determined that a chemical used in baby bottles and infant formula packing is safe at current levels and the agency should redo its risk assessment.

The FDA Science Board consists of a group of scientists drawn from academia, government and industry that advises the FDA commissioner. Yesterday at a meeting in Gaithersburg, they voted unanimously to accept the report by a subcommittee which linked exposure to low doses of BPA to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, hyperactivity and cancer in laboratory animals and that its margin of safety was "inadequate."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new prescription drug, Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate), to treat overactive bladder in adults. Overactive bladder (OAB) in adults is characterized by urinary frequency and sudden urinary incontinence, Toviaz relaxes the bladders smooth muscle tissue reducing the urge to urinate.

George Benson, MD, deputy director of the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, "Patients who suffer from overactive bladder face quality of life issues that can hamper their ability to enjoy life to its fullest. This new drug will provide an additional treatment option to help them manage problems with an overactive bladder."