Impact of maternal obesity on the metabolic profiles of pregnant women and their offspring at birth

Abstract

Obesity is currently an increasing public health problem. The intra-uterine environment plays a critical role in foetal development. The objective of this study is to investigate the association of obesity with modifications in the metabolic profiles of pregnant women, and their new-borns. Based on the PELAGIE cohort (Brittany, France), a sample of 321 pregnant women was divided into three groups according to their body mass index (BMI) (normal, over-weight and obese). Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics analyses were performed on maternal urine and cord-blood samples. Partial least squares regression-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), polytomous and logistic regressions were used to differentiate the metabolic profiles of the three BMI groups after adjusting for potential confounders. Specific profiles were observed for the overweight and obese women (BMI > 25) compared to the normal-weight women: they had a decrease in urinary hippurate excretion associated with a decrease in phenylalanine and an increase in creatinine. We also showed an increase in the urinary excretion of lactate, citrate, acetate, creatine, and lysine only in obese women (BMI > 30) compared to the normal-weight women. The PLS-DA modelling did not reveal any significant difference between the cord-blood metabolic profiles of newborns according to maternal BMI—although infants born of obese women had a higher birth weight and a lower Apgar score. Our results confirmed the potential link between obesity and gut microbiota disruption (changes in urinary acids), as well as energy and amino-acid metabolism but did not reveal any disruption among newborns.