The impact of maternal obesity on the future health of babies is a topic that has been gaining attention in recent years. A new study published in the Journal of Physiology has shed light on the startling effects of maternal obesity on fetal development, specifically in relation to heart problems and diabetes in adulthood.
Researchers at the University of South Australia have discovered that babies born to pregnant women with obesity are at a higher risk of developing heart problems and diabetes later in life. This is due to fetal damage caused by the high-fat, high-energy diet consumed by their mothers during pregnancy.
The study, which involved analyzing tissue samples from the fetuses of pregnant baboons fed a high-fat, high-energy diet, revealed that maternal obesity alters a critical thyroid hormone in the fetal heart, disrupting its development. This disruption can lead to long-term consequences on the cardiovascular health of the offspring.
Lead author of the study, Melanie Bertossa, emphasizes the significance of the findings, stating that the link between an unhealthy diet during pregnancy and poor cardiovascular health in offspring is clear. The study highlights how a high-fat, sugary diet can trigger insulin resistance in unborn babies, increasing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood, regardless of the baby being a normal weight at birth.
Bertossa explains, “A maternal high-fat, high-energy diet reduces concentrations of the active thyroid hormone T3 in the fetal heart, which plays a crucial role in signaling the heart to start preparing for life after birth. Without this signal, the fetal heart develops differently, setting the stage for potential heart health issues in the future.”
The study also reveals that diets high in fat and sugar can disrupt molecular pathways involved in insulin signaling and critical proteins for glucose uptake in the fetal heart, increasing the risk of cardiac insulin resistance and diabetes in adulthood.
Professor Janna Morrison, senior author of the study, underscores the importance of good maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy for the health of both the mother and the baby. She stresses the need for cardiometabolic health screening for all babies born to mothers with high-fat, sugary diets, not just those born abnormally sized, to detect potential heart disease risks early on.
As rates of high-fat, sugary diets continue to rise, the researchers warn that more individuals could face health complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, leading to shorter life spans in the future. However, with the knowledge gained from this study, there is hope for changing this trajectory and improving the health outcomes of future generations.
The researchers are now conducting long-term studies to track the health of babies born to women on high-fat, high-energy diets over decades, aiming to further understand the impact of maternal nutrition on offspring health.
