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Gestational weight gain: influences on the long-term health of the child

Lucilla Poston1

  • 1Division of Women's Health, King's College London, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK. lucilla.poston@kcl.ac.uk

Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|March 13, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Inappropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) is linked to long-term child health issues, including obesity. Further research is needed to understand these connections and develop effective interventions for healthier outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Metabolic Disease Research

Background:

  • Gestational weight gain (GWG) is a critical factor in maternal and infant health.
  • Inappropriate GWG, both inadequate and excessive, has been associated with adverse birth outcomes.
  • Emerging evidence suggests long-term health implications for offspring related to maternal GWG.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current evidence linking maternal GWG to the long-term health of the child.
  • To explore the potential for early life metabolic programming in disease development.
  • To identify knowledge gaps and future research directions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature and studies.
  • Analysis of associations between GWG and offspring health outcomes.
  • Consideration of confounding factors like genetics and environment.

Main Results:

  • Inadequate GWG correlates with low birthweight.
  • Excessive GWG is linked to large for gestational age infants and neonatal adiposity.
  • Maternal GWG is associated with childhood and adult obesity, independent of confounders, supporting the 'developmental origins of disease' hypothesis.

Conclusions:

  • The early life metabolic environment, influenced by GWG, may increase later-life risks for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
  • Mechanisms linking maternal GWG to offspring obesity require further elucidation.
  • Large-scale randomized controlled trials in pregnant women are necessary to understand these relationships and develop targeted interventions.
Abstract

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