Association of Maternal Plasma Total Cysteine and Growth among Infants in Nepal: A Cohort Study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 8, 2025
Comprehensive Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Placenta-Targeted Drug Delivery Using Three Complementary Methods
Published on: September 10, 2018
Nikhil Arora1, Tor A Strand2,3, Ram K Chandyo4
1Centre for International Health, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
Insights
Maternal plasma total cysteine (tCys) concentration showed inverse associations with infant boys' birth weight and length-for-age Z-scores. Further research is needed to confirm these transgenerational effects on child growth.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional science
- Pediatric growth studies
- Maternal health research
Background:
- Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid linked to child growth.
- Transgenerational impacts of maternal cysteine on offspring growth are not well understood.
- Infant growth is influenced by various maternal nutritional factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal plasma total cysteine (tCys) and infant growth indicators.
- To assess potential transgenerational effects of maternal tCys on child development.
- To analyze growth parameters in infants from peri-urban Nepal.
Main Methods:
- Linear regression models were used to analyze data from 561 mothers in a randomized controlled trial.
- Maternal plasma tCys levels were correlated with infant birth weight, LAZ, and WLZ at birth and six months.
- Statistical adjustments were made for potential confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Maternal tCys was inversely associated with birth weight in infant boys (p < 0.05).
- A significant negative association was observed between maternal tCys and length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ) at birth (p < 0.01).
- A positive trend between maternal tCys and weight-for-length Z-scores (WLZ) was noted in infant girls at birth (p < 0.10).
Conclusions:
- Maternal plasma tCys concentration may influence infant growth, particularly in boys.
- This study provides initial evidence for a transgenerational relationship between maternal tCys and infant growth.
- Larger studies are required to confirm and elucidate the mechanisms of these observed associations.
Abstract:
Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid that has been positively associated with growth in children. However, transgenerational effects remain unclear. The aim of this analysis was to assess whether maternal plasma total cysteine (tCys) concentration is associated with various growth indicators in infants living in peri-urban settings in Bhaktapur, Nepal. We used data from the 561 mothers enrolled in an ongoing randomized controlled trial. We built linear regression models to evaluate the associations between maternal tCys and birth weight, length-for-age Z-scores (LAZ) and weight-for-length Z-scores (WLZ) at birth and six months of age. Maternal tCys was inversely associated with birth weight among boys after adjusting for confounders (p < 0.05). In addition, there was a negative association between maternal tCys and LAZ at birth (p < 0.01). No associations between maternal tCys and the other anthropometric indicators were found significant, although there was a tendency for maternal tCys to be associated positively with WLZ at birth among girls (p < 0.10). This is a first study evaluating transgenerational relation of tCys on growth in infants. Further, larger and more comprehensive studies are needed to determine if and how maternal tCys alters child growth.
