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TOKYO, Feb 25, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Japan is introducing dietary recommendations for pregnant women as concerns mount over low birth weights due to excessive dieting by mothers.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare show that 75,527 babies weighed less than 5.5 pounds at birth in 1989, about 6.1 percent of the total. The number rose to 102,320, or 9.1 percent, in 2003, The Mainichi Shimbun reported Friday.
The panel believes that the drop in babies' birth weights is because pregnant women and mothers with infants have become too concerned with dieting.
The panel is also set to draft a chart that shows balanced weight increases for women during pregnancy.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
