By MALCOLM RITTER AP Science Writer NEW YORK--When Kathy Perusse
had weight-loss surgery and shed 120 pounds, she may have done
more than make her own life easier. She went on to have two
daughters, and she may have boosted their chances of avoiding
becoming obese, like her two older children are. That's the
implication of research suggesting that something in an obese
woman's womb can program her fetus toward becoming a fat child
and adult. It's not about simply passing along genes that
promote obesity; it's some sort of still-mysterious signal. The
idea has only recently entered conversations between doctors and
female patients, and scientists are scrambling to track down a
biological explanation. That knowledge, in turn, may provide new
ways to block obesity from crossing generations. While there's
some disagreement on how important the womb signal is, "the
evidence is building and building that it is a substantial
issue," said Dr. Matthew Gillman of Harvard Medical School, who
studies prevention of obesit