Yuan X, Liu Z, Zhu J, et al. - Researchers performed an ambispective observational study to investigate the potential correlations of maternal over- and underweight on the risk of offspring congenital heart defects (CHDs). The sample consisted of 1,206 fetuses with CHDs and 1,112 fetuses without defects at seven hospitals in China. They used standardized questionnaires for gathering information on maternal prepregnancy weight and height, social demographic characteristics, living and occupational environments, and lifestyle behaviors. The results indicate that underweight or low average BMI can be associated with an increased risk of CHDs in offspring. Healthcare practitioners may tend to encourage women planning to be pregnant to maintain or even gain weight to ensure adequate, balanced nutrition and thereby minimize the risk of CHDs in their offspring.