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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

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LDL cholesterol in early pregnancy and offspring cardiovascular disease risk factors

Jacob J Christensen1, Kjetil Retterstøl1, Kristin Godang2

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; The Lipid Clinic, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.

Journal of Clinical Lipidology
|December 7, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Maternal high LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in pregnancy is linked to higher offspring LDL-C by age 6-13. This may increase children's future cardiovascular disease risk.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Pediatrics
  • Cardiovascular Disease Research

Background:

  • Maternal health during pregnancy significantly impacts offspring's long-term health.
  • Established links exist between maternal conditions (obesity, diabetes) and offspring cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
  • The association between elevated maternal LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) during pregnancy and offspring CVD risk is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between high maternal LDL-C in pregnancy and CVD risk factors in offspring aged 6-13 years.
  • To compare CVD risk indicators in children born to mothers with high versus low pregnancy LDL-C levels.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited children aged 6-13 from a pregnancy cohort based on maternal LDL-C levels (high: >90th percentile, low: <10th percentile).
  • Measured cardiovascular disease risk factors in the selected children.
  • Analyzed maternal plasma LDL-C at 14-16 weeks gestation.

Main Results:

  • Maternal LDL-C was significantly higher in the hypercholesterolemic group (4.0 mmol/L) compared to the hypocholesterolemic group (1.4 mmol/L).
  • Offspring of mothers with hypercholesterolemia had higher plasma LDL-C by 0.4 mmol/L.
  • No significant differences were observed in birth weight, other CVD risk factors, or dietary intake between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated maternal LDL-C in early pregnancy is associated with increased LDL-C in offspring aged 6-13 years.
  • Children exposed to high maternal LDL-C may face a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Early intervention and cholesterol management in pregnant women could mitigate future offspring cardiovascular risk.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildrenHypercholesterolemiaLDLPregnancyRisk factors

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