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Obesity prevention in women of child-bearing age deserves priority
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An urgent need exists to develop approaches to obesity-prevention among girls and women of child-bearing age, according to findings from a 3-year research program funded by the European Commission’s Framework Programme 7.
“In the context of maternal-offspring health, attention should be devoted to the prevention of overweight and obesity among young girls, representing ‘tomorrow’s mothers’,” Patricia Iozzo, MD, PhD, of the Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy, said in a press release.
“Targeted strategies are also needed to ensure pregnant women do not add excess weight and protect their physical and mental health, and that of their children,” she said.
Launched in 2012, the Developmental Origins of Healthy and Unhealthy Aging: the role of maternal obesity (DORIAN) consortium looked at the impact of maternal obesity on the aging process and the effects on children throughout their lives.
The consortium was divided into separate projects, analyzing the larger issue from unique angles.
In a proof-of-concept analysis involving more than 13,000 women, followed from birth to their 60s and 70s, by Johan Eriksson, MD, DMSc, of the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center, Finland, and colleagues showed that offspring of mothers who were overweight in late pregnancy were more likely to develop cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, or type 2 diabetes.
Another investigation by Rebecca Reynolds, PhD, and Megan Holmes, PhD, both of the University of Edinburgh, U.K., found that during pregnancy, women with obesity consume more saturated fats and fewer micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, compared with lean women. Further, the researchers found the placentas from mothers with a high-fat diet provided less fetal protection again cortisol, thereby reducing growth and increasing the risk for mood disorders.
“The two most important messages to pregnant women from these findings are that they should have a healthy diet and lifestyle during pregnancy, and if suffering from anxiety or depression they should seek treatment to help their symptoms,” according to Reynolds and Holmes.
Results from a project related to the protective telomeres capping the end of DNA by Maria Angela Guzzardi, PhD, also of the National Research Council in Italy, and colleagues showed that maternal overweight and obesity, combined with weight gain in pregnancy, is linked with shorter telomere length in offspring as they age.
The researchers underscore that epigenetic modifications altering the function of genes will influence health over the course of life.
“The DORIAN project has underlined the importance of preventing obesity in pregnancy, preventing excess weight gain during pregnancy, and also maintaining healthy diet without too much fat, all of which can have short- and long-term effects on the health of the mother and her child,” Iozzo said in the release.
Disclosure: Endocrine Today could not confirm disclosures.