Children of obese women have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
A research team studied birth and death records spanning the time between the 1950s and now of 28,540 women and their children, a British Medical Journal press release reported.
The women's Body Mass Index (BMI) during pregnancy was also looked at.
Twenty-one percent of the mothers were overweight and four percent were obese.
The statistics indicated a 35 percent higher risk of premature death in the study subjects born to obese mothers. Out of the 37,709 children studied, 6551 died from various causes.
The children of obese mothers were also 29 percent more likely to be hospitalized for a cardiovascular-related problem.
In the U.S. and Europe about 64 percent of women who are of childbearing age are overweight, 35 percent are obese.
The study calls attention to the importance of women maintaining a healthy lifestyle when they are of reproductive age. The researchers called the growing obesity rates "a major public health concern."
"As one in five women in the UK is currently obese at antenatal booking, strategies to optimise weight before pregnancy are urgently required," the authors said.
"If we are to tackle obesity in the U.K., we need to start at conception and help mums to limit the impact of their weight on their babies. Research shows that eating a healthy diet and taking moderate exercise while pregnant can make a big difference," Jacqui Clinton, health campaigns director at Tommy's Centre for Maternal and Fetal Research at the University of Edinburgh, told the Telegraph. "Looking after a baby's health while in the womb may not only increase the chances of a healthy birth, but of a longer, healthier life."
Past studies have found overweight mothers could put their children at risk of "permanent changes in appetite control and energy metabolism," according to the press release.
