High Fat Diet During Pregnancy Disrupts Metabolism in Offspring, Can Lead to Obesity Later

Children exposed to high levels of dietary fats while in the womb might be at a higher risk of lifelong obesity and related disorders than children of healthy mothers, according to a latest study.

The study, conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Cologne, found that offspring of mothers on a high-fat diet were at a greater risk of metabolic disorders. Their study was conducted on mice.

Researchers found that mice pups exposed to high levels of fats during lactation had abnormal neural networks and alterations in hypothalamus.

"Our study suggests that expecting mothers can have major impact on the long-term metabolic health of their children by properly controlling nutrition during this critical developmental period of the offspring," said the study's co-lead author Tamas Horvath from at Yale School of Medicine.

For the study, researchers developed mouse models to understand metabolism. Their research showed that mothers on high-fat diet during lactation had pups with an abnormal brain; with significant changes in hypothalamus- a key region associated with metabolism. These mice also had disrupted insulin signalling. The changes in metabolic pathways meant that the offspring remained overweight throughout its life and had an impaired glucose control mechanism.

In mice, neural networks are under-developed at birth. However, in humans, the network is completed during the third trimester which is why researchers say mothers need to be extra careful about what they eat during the last few weeks of pregnancy

"Mothers can control or even reverse their offspring's predisposition to obesity and resulting diseases by altering their food intake," said Horvath in a news release. "Because gestational diabetes frequently manifests during the third trimester, the results could inform more intense screening of mothers for alterations in glucose metabolism."

The study is published in the journal Cell.

Previous research from Jerusalem had suggested that babies born to obese mothers are at greater risks of having health complications even during later stages of life. Another study reported eating chips during pregnancy was as bad as smoking.