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Better glycemic profile found in adult offspring of older mothers
Sons of mothers who were aged 30 to 34 years when they gave birth are more likely to have lower fasting glucose levels and higher insulin sensitivity as adults vs. sons born to mothers aged 25 years or younger at birth, according to recent findings.
In a study assessing the body composition and cardiometabolic profile of male siblings and data provided by birth mothers, researchers also found that sons born to mothers aged at least 35 years at birth had lower insulin sensitivity vs. sons born to mothers aged 30 to 34 years.
“The reduction in insulin sensitivity observed in sons of mothers aged over 35 years at childbirth corroborates the recent European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) position statement on late parenthood, warning that advanced parental age may adversely impact long-term offspring health,” Charlotte Verroken, MD, of the department of endocrinology and metabolic bone diseases at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, and colleagues wrote. “In contrast, our finding that increasing maternal age was associated with lower glucose levels and a trend toward higher insulin sensitivity suggests that, at least up to a certain age, the postponement of parenthood might have a positive effect on offspring metabolic phenotype.”
Verroken and colleagues analyzed data from 586 men aged 24 to 45 years who had a brother within the same age range (220 brother pairs, 14 triplets and 104 singleton participants), along with their mothers, all recruited from population registries of communities around Ghent, Belgium, between 2002 and 2010. Researchers measured body composition, serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile and insulin sensitivity via homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Mean maternal age at childbirth ranged from 15 to 48 years (mean age, 27.1 years).
Within the cohort, 179 men were born to a mother aged 25 years or younger; 249 men were born to a mother aged 25 to 29 years; 119 were born to a mother aged 30 to 34 years and 39 were born to a mother aged at least 35 years. Researchers found that maternal age correlated inversely with fasting glucose and HOMA-IR in regression and quartile analyses. In an unadjusted model, men born to mothers aged 30 to 34 years had a lower mean fasting glucose (mean, 4.61 mmol/L) vs. men born to mother aged 25 to 29 years (mean, 4.71 mmol/L) or 25 years or younger (mean, 4.8 mmol/L), as well as a higher insulin sensitivity (beta = 1.22 vs. 1.32 and 1.44, respectively). Results persisted for fasting glucose in models adjusted for age and body composition, but were attenuated for insulin sensitivity, according to researchers.
“However, significant between-category differences in HOMA-IR were found, with sons of younger and older mothers displaying higher values than sons of mothers aged 30 to 34 years at childbirth,” the researchers wrote.
Researchers observed an inverse association between maternal age at childbirth and total cholesterol in the men in unadjusted analyses, but the relationship did not persist after adjustment for age and body composition. There were no observed associations between maternal age at birth and blood pressure, leptin or adiponectin levels in the men, according to researchers. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.