High Fat Diet During Pregnancy Could Increase Chances of Obesity in Offspring

by Dr. Nithin Jayan on? June 25, 2013 at 11:35 AM Health Watch High fat diet during pregnancy may predispose the offspring to overeating; permanent changes are induced in brain cells that control food intake. An increased preference for fatty and sugary foods has been shown in offspring who were exposed to high fat diet while in the womb.
The study performed on monkeys, funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, showed the influence that maternal diet had on offspring's dietary habits. Male offspring born to monkeys that ate a high-fat diet during pregnancy had increased body weight, compared with the offspring of mothers that ate a low-fat diet.

"Studies in humans have demonstrated that maternal obesity during pregnancy is a strong determinant of offspring body mass index, or BMI," said the study's lead author, Juliana Gastao Franco, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Oregon Health and Science University.

"Our group demonstrated that consumption of a high-fat diet during gestation alters fetal development of neurons that control food intake, ultimately leading to an increased preference for high-calorie food and to increased body fat in the offspring."

Investigators studied monkeys born to females that consumed either a low-fat (control) diet, consisting of 14 percent of calories from fat, or a high-fat diet in which 36 percent of calories came from fat. The total food intake, dietary preferences, body composition, physical activity and metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body burns calories, were measured once the monkeys were 6 to 11 months of age.

Detailed studies that focused on the monkeys' hypothalamus, the region of the brain that regulates food intake, were then performed. All male offspring that had prenatal exposure to a high-fat diet had increased body weight, despite having no changes in their metabolic rate and regardless of what they ate after weaning. An increased overall food intake and increased binge eating of food with high sugar and fat were noticed.

Researchers explain that the altered habits are due to permanent changes in their hypothalamus of the monkeys due to prenatal exposure to high-fat diet. The study was presented at the Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. At this time, it would be premature to make definitive conclusions based on these 'animal trials'. However to be on the safer side, pregnant mothers are advised to adhere to healthy diets as per body requirements. Always visit your obstetrician and nutritionist for more advice on diet.

Source-Medindia

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More Than a Third of Young Adults in Mexico Have Genetic Risk of Obesity

by Kathy Jones on? May 25, 2013 at 8:13 PM Genetics & Stem Cells News A new study conducted by a University of Illinois researcher at the Universidad Aut?noma de San Luis Potos reveals that more than a third of Mexican young adults have a genetic predisposition for obesity.
"The students who inherited genetic risk factors from both parents were already 15? pounds heavier and 2 inches bigger around the waist than those who hadn't. They also had slightly higher fasting glucose levels," said Margarita Teran-Garcia, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

In the study, 251 18- to 25-year-olds were tested for risk alleles on the FTO gene as part of the Up Amigos project, a collaboration of scientists at the U of I and the Mexican university. The researchers are following the 10,000 yearly applicants to the Universidad Aut?noma de San Luis Potosi to learn how changes in students' weight, body mass index (BMI), and eating and exercise habits affect their health over time.

According to Teran-Garcia, the FTO gene is associated with a predisposition to obesity, increased BMI, and increased waist circumference. These traits can in turn contribute to many health-related problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Of the young adults tested in the study, 15 percent had inherited the genetic risk from both parents?in other words, they carried two copies of the risk allele. Another 20 percent had inherited risk from one parent, meaning they had one copy of the risk allele. Sixty-five percent of the students in the study did not carry the risk allele.

"If young people realize early that they have this predisposition, they can fight against it. If they are at risk for obesity, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is even more important for them," Teran-Garcia said.

She noted that 85 percent of Hispanics in the United States are of Mexican origin.

Although FTO markers and analysis are available for large groups of Caucasians, Asians, and African-Americans, few studies have examined the effects of this gene in Mexican and Mexican- American populations.

"This is the first study to target young adults in Mexico, although one other study has followed older Mexican adults who had already been diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, and obesity-related diseases," she said.

Scientists hypothesize that "fat" genes may be influenced by epigenetic modifications, she said. "So even if you have this predisposition, you may be able to change the way those genes behave by eating the right foods and getting more exercise. These good habits are especially important for young people who have a genetic risk for obesity."

Source-Eurekalert

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Childhood Obesity Linked to Birth by C-Sections

Researchers at New York University School of Medicine observed over 10,000 infants in the UK who were born between 1991 and 1992 and found that by the time they turned 11 years old, those who were delivered through a C-section were 83 percent more likely to be obese than those delivered naturally.

The study was in line with nine other studies that had also linked C-sections with obesity.

"Being heavy as a woman is a risk factor for C-section, so that's the problem with trying to figure out whether this is real or if it's simply a matter of selection. There may be long-term consequences to children that we don't know about", lead researcher Dr Jan Blustein said.

Source-Medindia

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