Maternal inflammation during pregnancy and childhood adiposity

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with offspring obesity. Underlying mechanisms may involve a maternal obesity-mediated proinflammatory state during pregnancy. Maternal C-reactive protein (CRP) level during pregnancy is a biomarker of low-grade systemic inflammation.

Among 1,116 mother-child pairs, this study examined associations of maternal second-trimester CRP plasma level, measured by high-sensitivity CRP arrays, with mid-childhood DXA fat mass index (FMI), trunk fat mass index (trunkFMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and early and mid-childhood BMI-z and waist circumference (WC). Main analyses were adjusted for maternal sociodemographic and lifestyle-related characteristics, gestational age at blood draw, and child's age and sex.

Higher maternal CRP level was associated with higher mid-childhood FMI and trunkFMI (adjusted difference: 0.15 kg/m(2) [95% CI: 0.01, 0.29] [P = 0.04] and 0.06 kg/m(2) [95% CI: 0.00, 0.12] [P = 0.06], per SD increment in maternal CRP, respectively), but not FFMI. Higher maternal CRP level was associated with higher early and mid-childhood BMI-z and WC in the basic models [P < 0.05], but these associations attenuated after adjustment for maternal characteristics (adjusted difference in early and mid-childhood BMI-z and WC: 0.05 [95% CI: -0.03, 0.13] [P = 0.20], 0.10 cm [95% CI: -0.17, 0.37] [P = 0.46], 0.07 [95% CI: -0.01, 0.14] [P = 0.09], 0.34 cm [95% CI: -0.25, 0.94] [P = 0.26], per SD increment in maternal CRP, respectively).

Higher second-trimester maternal CRP level was associated with higher mid-childhood overall and central adiposity.