The influence of maternal body mass index on infant adiposity and hepatic lipid content
Neena Modi1, Dominika Murgasova, Rikke Ruager-Martin
1Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK. n.modi@imperial.ac.uk
Insights
Maternal body mass index (BMI) influences infant body composition. Higher maternal BMI is linked to increased neonatal adipose tissue and liver fat, potentially impacting long-term metabolic health.
Area of Science:
- Perinatology
- Developmental Biology
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Maternal overweight and obesity are linked to adverse offspring health outcomes.
- The specific biological mechanisms causing these outcomes are not fully understood.
- Altered infant body composition in utero may be an initiating factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that maternal body mass index (BMI) affects neonatal adipose tissue (AT) content, distribution, and liver lipid content.
- To explore the relationship between maternal BMI and infant body composition at birth.
Main Methods:
- Studied 105 healthy mother-neonate pairs.
- Assessed infant adipose tissue compartments using whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
- Quantified intrahepatocellular lipid content via proton magnetic resonance (H MR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Increased maternal BMI correlated with greater infant total, abdominal, and non-abdominal adipose tissue.
- Higher maternal BMI was associated with increased infant intrahepatocellular lipid content.
- These associations were observed across the normal range of maternal BMI.
Conclusions:
- Maternal BMI significantly influences neonatal adipose tissue accumulation and liver lipid content.
- These early life changes in body composition may establish a trajectory for future metabolic health issues.
- Findings highlight the importance of maternal metabolic health during pregnancy for offspring long-term well-being.
Abstract:
Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with adverse offspring outcome in later life. The causal biological effectors are uncertain. Postulating that initiating events may be alterations to infant body composition established in utero, we tested the hypothesis that neonatal adipose tissue (AT) content and distribution and liver lipid are influenced by maternal BMI. We studied 105 healthy mother-neonate pairs. We assessed infant AT compartments by whole body MR imaging and intrahepatocellular lipid content by H MR spectroscopy. Maternal BMI ranged from 16.7 to 36.0. With each unit increase in maternal BMI, having adjusted for infant sex and weight, there was an increase in infant total (8 mL; 95% CI, 0.09-14.0; p = 0.03), abdominal (2 mL; 95% CI, 0.7-4.0; p = 0.005), and nonabdominal (5 mL; 95% CI, 0.09-11.0; p = 0.054) AT, and having adjusted for infant sex and postnatal age, an increase of 8.6% (95% CI, 1.1-16.8; p = 0.03) in intrahepatocellular lipid. Infant abdominal AT and liver lipid increase with increasing maternal BMI across the normal range. These effects may be the initiating determinants of a life-long trajectory leading to adverse metabolic health.
