Diet and exercise may stem weight gain of pregnancy, but should begin early

About 26% of women are overweight when pregnant and 25.6% are obese

For years, maternal health experts have worried about a troubling statistic: More than half of all pregnant women in America are overweight or obese when they conceive, putting them and their children at a higher risk of developing diabetes and other health problems.

So about a decade ago, the federal government launched a multimillion-dollar trial to see whether diet and exercise could help overweight women maintain a healthy weight during their pregnancies and potentially reduce their rate of complications. On Thursday, the findings were announced, and the results were mixed: Starting a diet and exercise program around the beginning of their