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Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Maternal protein intake during pregnancy and offspring overweight 20 y later
Ekaterina Maslova1, Dorte Rytter1, Bodil H Bech1
1From the Centre for Fetal Programming, Department of Epidemiology Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark (EM, SFO, and TIH); the Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark (DR and BHB); the Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark (TBH); the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark (MAR); the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (SFO); the Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland (TIH); and the Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland (TIH).
Background:
Animal studies have shown that protein intake in pregnancy may influence offspring fat metabolism and adiposity. The macronutrient ratio in human pregnancy appears to be important for offspring glucose tolerance; however, less is known about the influence on offspring adiposity.
Objective:
We examined the relation between maternal dietary protein intake during pregnancy and offspring anthropometric measures and biomarkers of adiposity and glucose metabolism.
Design:
We used a prospective cohort of 965 Danish pregnant women recruited in 1988-1989 with offspring follow-up at 19-21 y. Macronutrient intake was collected in gestational week 30, and we divided protein according to its source (animal and vegetable including cereals). Offspring body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) and waist circumference were recorded at follow-up (n = 695-697), and biomarkers were quantified in a subset (n = 443) of participants. We used multivariable linear and log-binomial regression to calculate effect estimates and 95% CIs for a 1:1-g substitution of carbohydrates for protein.
Results:
Offspring mean (±SD) BMI was 22.1 ± 3.3 and 22.8 ± 2.9 for women and men, respectively. The prevalence of overweight (BMI ≥25) was 16.9% for women and 19.1% for men. We showed that a 1:1-g substitution of animal protein for carbohydrates increased risk of BMI ≥25 in female [quartile 4 compared with quartile 1: risk ratio (RR): 3.36; 95% CI: 1.52, 7.42] and male (quartile 4 compared with quartile 1: RR: 2.22; 95% CI: 0.92, 5.35) offspring. These results appeared to be accounted for by protein from meat sources. The results could not be explained by postnatal risk factors.
Conclusions:
Protein from animal sources, primarily meat products, consumed during pregnancy may increase risk of overweight in offspring; this association appeared to be stronger for female offspring. Because of the lack of information on postnatal exposure in this cohort, these results are hypothesis-generating and need to be replicated in other cohorts.
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