New Dads Gain More than 4 Pounds After Birth

A new study says that on average new dads can gain more than 4 pounds after they become fathers.

The Hindustan Times reports that the study was carried out by Dr. Craig Garfield of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The study was published in the American Journal of Men's Health and Garfield said he was stumped as to why the weight gain occurred, and said more research was definitely needed because he could only guess as to the underlying causes.

Among the possible reasons he thought could be the cause were eating more, sleeping less, exercising less, and stressing more. All of these factors have been proven to be causes of weight gain, and uncoincidentally, they also happen to define the first years after having a child but it is unclear if one of these changes is the culprit. The cause could also be completely unrelated to any of the aforementioned reasons. 

The study was based on a data set that tracked adolescents as they matured over two decades. The researchers then compared the weight changes in the 3,400 men who became fathers and the 6,800 that did not.

The study found that the average 6-foot-tall first-time father who lived with his child after childbirth gained roughly 4.4 pounds compared to men who did not have children. Men who did not live with their children after birth recorded less weight gain, but still saw their weight increase around 3.5 pounds.