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Maternal obesity linked to inflammation disorders in offspring

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

A new study has found that obesity in mothers can cause cellular programming capable of predisposing offspring to inflammation-related disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. The findings were consistent regardless of whether or not the children in the study were obese themselves.

Researchers from Duke University placed lab rats on either a low-fat, high-saturated fat or high-trans fat diet throughout mating, pregnancy and lactation, causing the animals on the high-fat diets to become clinically obese.

After analyzing the brain images of newborn rats, the researchers found that offspring born to obese mothers showed increased immune cell activation and release of injurious cytokines immediately after birth. Even after the subjects were put on low-fat diets in their juvenile and adults years, their hyper-response to inflammation remained.

"Our hope is also that these data will lead people to consider the consequences of their dietary intakes not only for their own health, but also for their children's health, and potentially even their grandchildren's health," concluded Staci Bilbo, co-author of the study.