Association between a pregnant mother's diet and her child's weight

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-03/asfn-ita031021.php

 

News Release 15-Mar-2021
Study results published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest that a mother's diet during pregnancy has a long-term impact on her child's weight gain trajectory
American Society for Nutrition

 

Approximately one in five children and adolescents in the United States has obesity. These children have an increased risk of asthma, type 2 diabetes, and orthopedic disorders. Studies have also found links between childhood obesity and low self-esteem and poor academic performance. Children with obesity, in turn, are more likely to become obese as adults. As adults with obesity, they will experience a higher risk of coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, chronic kidney and liver disease, many types of cancer, depression, and other mental health disorders.

Research has shown that accelerated weight gain in early childhood is associated with obesity later in childhood and during adolescence. Therefore, identifying the determinants of accelerated weight trajectories in children may set the stage for the development of strategies to successfully reduce obesity, as well as its associated conditions, in both childhood and adulthood.


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According to Dr. Monthé-Drèze, the results of the study "suggest maternal nutrition during pregnancy may have a long-term impact on children's weight trajectories, and that there are specific developmental periods when nutrition during pregnancy may influence offspring growth. For example, we found that a pregnancy diet with higher inflammatory potential was associated with faster BMI growth rates in children between three and ten years of age. We also found that lower adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet during pregnancy was associated with higher BMI trajectories through adolescence." Interestingly, mothers' Alternate Healthy Eating Index-for Pregnancy score did not predict their offspring's growth trajectory.

Given the results of this study, Dr. Monthé-Drèze stressed, "it is important to counsel women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant on the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy. In particular, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should consider a Mediterranean diet, which may not only benefit their own health, but may also help their child maintain a healthy weight." A Mediterranean-style diet has low inflammatory potential and is rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, low-mercury fish, and good quality oils such as extra virgin olive oil. These foods provide important sources of vitamin D, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and other nutrients that have been shown to be beneficial for offspring health. According to Dr. Monthé-Drèze, "research has shown that the foods that we eat during pregnancy may influence the metabolism of the growing child as well as their eating behaviors and food preferences. Additionally, the food choices women make during pregnancy are likely to be similar to food choices they offer their children. Therefore, it is conceivable that maternal nutrition during pregnancy may be related to long-term weight issues in the offspring. Additional research is therefore needed to better understand the relationship between maternal diet in pregnancy and child BMI and weight gain patterns."

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