A recent study has found that health problems connected to obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes, could be passed on through pregnancy and skip a generation. Researchers have found that the infants of obese mothers could be spared the health problems that are associated with this lifestyle condition, but their own children could inherit them instead. The obesity epidemic has been in the spotlight for several years now, due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor diets, but this study suggests that it could also be affecting the wider family – not just the individual in question. The study was carried out by the University of Edinburgh and has shown that moderately obese mothers can impact the weight and diabetes risk of their grandchildren, even with the apparent lack of effects in their own children.
Researchers have stated that the rates of obesity in the public are at an all time high, increasing the risk of breast and colon cancers, stroke and heart problems. Those with a body mass index of between 30 and 34.9 are classified as moderately obese. Studying moderately obese female mice who were fed on a high fat and sugar diet, scientists found that the mice were found to pass on the risks associated with the condition to their second generation offspring. The reasons why are still unknown, and further studies will need to take place in order to determine why these risks skip a generation. They believe that it could be connected to differences in maternal weight gain during pregnancy, or specific foods eaten during the pregnancy.
Scientists have stated that the effects, referred to as developmental programming, could be challenging in humans but are possible. Due to the worldwide problem with obesity, it’s important that we gain a better understanding of the impact of this problem for future generations. Future studies will need to take place to determine how the trend is affected by genetics, social and cultural factors, and environment.