A 13-year-long study conducted by Kaiser Permanente concluded that in-utero exposure to relatively high magnetic field levels was associated with a 69 percent increased risk of being obese or overweight during childhood. These findings indicate that electromagnetic fields, from microwave ovens to countless wireless devices, may be contributing to childhood obesity risk.
Researchers asked participating women to carry a meter measuring magnetic field levels during pregnancy and 733 of their children were followed for up to 13 years to collect clinically recorded information on growth patterns. On average, 33 weight measurements per child were collected.
After controlling for an extensive list of other variables including gender, race, breastfeeding and maternal age at delivery, researchers reported a 50 percent increase of participants being obese or overweight for medium in-utero levels (1.5-2.5 mG) and an 84 percent increased risk for high in-utero levels (>2.5mG).
