Poor quality mother’s diet during pregnancy may be associated with childhood obesity

Eating foods and low-quality diets high in food ingredients associated with chronic inflammation during pregnancy can increase the risk of obesity and excess body fat, especially in later-life children.Survey results are published in open access journals BMC medicine..

Researchers at the University of Dublin, Ireland, Mother’s Those who ate higher quality diet, Fewer inflammation-related foods, low risk during pregnancy obesity Less than body Late childhood fat levels than children who have a low quality diet during pregnancy and are more prone to inflammation-related foods. This association was not observed in early childhood or mid-term.

Corresponding author Ling-Wei Chen said: “Childhood obesity often persists into adulthood and increases the risk of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. There is increasing evidence that the mother’s diet affects the outcome of pregnancy and childbirth, from pregnancy. The first 1000 days of a child’s life up to 2 years are an important time to prevent childhood obesity, according to our study, from mothers who eat a low quality diet during pregnancy and are high in inflammation-related foods. Children Born Maybe more likely to have obesity or excess body fat in late childhood than those born to mothers who eat a high-quality diet low in inflammation-related foods. “

To investigate the effects of maternal diet on the potential for childhood obesity and excess body fat, the authors were collected from 16,295 mother-child pairs in seven European birth cohort studies in Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Poland. I analyzed the data. Participating in the ALPHABET Consortium. On average, the mother was 30 years old and had a healthy BMI.Mother food They ate before and during pregnancy.Researchers evaluated the quality of the diet and whether it was high in diet-related foods and food ingredients. Chronic inflammation, Saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, lean and processed meats, etc. BMI for children was calculated in early, middle and late childhood. Additional data on body composition in mid- or late childhood children were collected in five cohorts included in the study.

Researchers found that children born to mothers who ate foods high in inflammation-related foods during pregnancy tended to have lower levels of fat-free weight as children than children who ate low mothers. I found that there is. Inflammation-related foods. Previous studies have shown that low levels of muscle mass may be associated with an increased risk of complex diabetes. High blood pressure And obesity

We found that the association between a low-quality maternal diet high in inflammation-related foods and low levels of lean body mass in late childhood was stronger in boys than in girls.Relationship between low quality maternal diet and high body, which is rich in inflammation-related foods Fat level When I was a kid, girls were stronger than boys.

Catherine Phillips, Principal Investigator and Coordinator for the ALPHABET Project, said: “Previous studies have shown that low carbohydrate intake by mothers in early pregnancy can cause epigenetic changes in children that may be associated with increased risk, that is, changes that alter gene expression. It has been suggested that a low-quality maternal diet high in inflammatory-related foods can induce epigenetic changes as well, which risks the child to become obese or have excess body fat in the later stages. Suggests that may increase. Healthy diet, high in fruits and vegetables, low in refined carbohydrates and red and processed meats pregnancy It may help prevent childhood obesity. “

The authors warn that the observational nature of this study makes it impossible to conclude a causal link between the mother’s diet and childhood obesity and excess body fat. Future studies need to explain in more detail other factors that may affect the risk of childhood obesity. childhood According to the author, physical activity and diet.