Obese Pregnant Women Accelerate their Kids’ Susceptibility to Metabolic Diseases

Maternal Obesity Puts Both the Mother & Her Fetus at Risk for Debilitating Health Outcomes

We are using the word ‘obesity’ and ‘overweight’ quite often these days as there has been a steady rise in their rates-almost 25% of the adult population are victims to it! Among them are also young women in their reproductive age of whom around 30-50% are either overweight or obese. Maybe now all the reasons behind pregnancy and childbirth complications are justifiable. Maternal health is crucial for giving birth to a healthy child and maternal obesity intrudes the well-being and development of the newborn in multiple ways. It paves way for increased risk of hyperglycaemia, diabetes and hypertension, a cluster of conditions that occur together termed as metabolic syndrome thereby increasing the risk of heart disease, in the offspring. We often blame environmental factors and our genetic predisposition as the reason behind all our health problems but exposure to maternal obesity overrules all these factors creating significant impact on the offspring’s long-term metabolic health.

It is no big news that obesity affects the heart’s well-being, disrupts metabolism putting the individual at a risk for diabetes and heart disease. A recent research by a group of researchers at the University of Wyoming and Salvador Zubiran National Institute of Medical Sciences & Nutrition have come up with an even more important discovery-effect of maternal obesity can be passed across generations to offspring thereby accelerating the occurrence of metabolic conditions that would otherwise happen quite slowly. The infants of these mothers showed reduced functioning of the mitochondria, the power house of the cell responsible for generating energy cells needed to function properly, which makes the infant susceptible to heart disease.

What surprised the researchers was the fact that maternal obesity had varying effects on the male and female offspring and the researchers felt it to be the effect of hormonal changes in both sexes. It was also found that performing physical activity regularly helps in improving the effect of maternal obesity on the newborn baby. It has been already established through another study that an obese pregnant lady who consumes a high-sugar, high-fat diet during pregnancy produces a ‘fatty liver’ in the fetus thereby putting her fetus at a potential risk of obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular disorders later in life while another study found that an undernourished mother produces offspring who is at a risk of early ageing of the heart. The latest study is only an additional confirmation to all the existing studies that the fetus’ condition in the womb and the early life has a definite impact on the child’s health and his/her risk to health problems in later stages of life.
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Hence, every woman in her reproductive age must ensure to value her health and take care to stay within her weight ranges. Only then, we can be ensured of a healthy baby. If in case you are planning to conceive and need help losing weight or getting onto a nutritious diet cycle it is better to meet our reputed dietitians and nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com who can help you in a scientific, practical and simple way.