Maternal and paternal obesity are associated with offspring obestatin levels in the Nutritionists' Health Study.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine whether paternal and maternal body mass indexes (BMIs) were independently associated with obestatin and visfatin levels in adult offspring. This cross-sectional analysis included 124 women who participated in the Nutritionists' Health Study (NutriHS) at baseline. Early life events, anthropometry, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-determined body composition and blood sample were obtained. Associations of parental BMI with outcomes (obestatin and visfatin) were tested by multiple linear regression, using minimal sufficient adjustments recommended by Directed Acyclic Graph. Participants' mean BMI was 25 ± 5 kg/m2 and 74% were metabolically healthy. Median obestatin and visfatin levels were 56.4 pg/mL (42-72) and 17.7 ng/mL (14-21.8), respectively. Eleven percent of mothers and 39% of fathers were overweight/obese. Daughters born from overweight/obese mothers had higher BMI than those born from normal weight women (P=0.003). In adjusted regression model, offspring obestatin levels were associated with maternal BMI (β=-0.03; P=0.045) and paternal BMI (β=-0.02; P=0.048) independently of maternal and paternal education, maternal age, and maternal use of tobacco, alcohol, and/or drugs. No association was detected with visfatin levels. Inverse associations of maternal and paternal BMIs with offspring obestatin concentrations in women could suggest a utility of this biomarker of energy regulation determined in early adulthood. Whether obestatin could be an indicator of protection against obesity-related disorders in the life course requires investigation in studies designed to test such hypothesis.