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The long-term associations of perinatal obesogenic environment with offspring biological aging

Ilona Shapiro1, Iaroslav Youssim1, Salomon Israel1

  • 1Braun School of Public Health, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.

American Journal of Epidemiology
|September 10, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Maternal body size during pregnancy impacts offspring biological age (BA), a measure of aging beyond chronological age. Targeting weight management in adolescence and young adulthood may promote healthier aging pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Biological age (BA) reflects health decline beyond chronological age and varies individually.
  • Maternal pregnancy body size (prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain) is linked to offspring health, but its effect on young adult BA is understudied.
  • Understanding these links can reveal intergenerational health mechanisms and inform interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) with offspring biological age (BA) at age 32.
  • To explore potential familial life-course mechanisms underlying these associations, including offspring BMI trajectories and maternal cardiometabolic health.
  • To identify potential intervention points for promoting healthy aging.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of 1148 mother-offspring pairs from the Jerusalem Perinatal Study.
  • Offspring biological age (BA) assessed at age 32 using the Klemera-Doubal Method (KDM).
  • Statistical models adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle factors, offspring polygenic risk score for BMI, and maternal cardiometabolic conditions.

Main Results:

  • Maternal prepregnancy BMI and GWG were significantly associated with higher offspring BA, even after adjusting for confounders.
  • The association of GWG with BA was largely direct, while maternal prepregnancy BMI's effect was partially mediated by adolescent offspring BMI.
  • These associations persisted after adjusting for offspring polygenic risk scores for BMI and were somewhat altered by maternal cardiometabolic conditions.

Conclusions:

  • A perinatal obesogenic environment, influenced by maternal body size, contributes to offspring biological age independently of sociodemographic factors and maternal health history.
  • Intergenerational transmission of obesity appears to be a key mechanism linking maternal body size to offspring BA.
  • Interventions targeting weight management during adolescence and young adulthood may be crucial for mitigating the long-term impact on healthy aging.

Keywords:
DOHaDbiological agecohort studygestational weight gainprepregnancy BMI

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