Abstract
Both maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain have been associated with cardiovascular health in the offspring beyond two generations. A total of 274 daughters (aged 12–54) of 208 mothers who participated in the Bogalusa Heart Study were interviewed about their reproductive history. Mothers’ data was taken from the original study, and cardiovascular measures at the visit prior to pregnancy were correlated with daughter’s measures. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, skinfold, and waist circumference were examined as a predictor of daughters’ blood pressure, lipids, and glucose, as well as a predictor of birthweight and gestational age of grandchildren. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with higher blood pressure and lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and cholesterol in the daughters. Most maternal cardiometabolic risk factors were not associated with grandchildren’s birth outcomes, even though higher cholesterol and LDL was associated with lower gestational age, and higher BMI and skinfold thickness with an increased risk of preterm birth. In this pilot study, some associations were found between maternal adiposity and cardiovascular risk, daughters’ cardiovascular risk, and grandchild birth outcomes. Lack of conclusive associations could be due to a true lack of effect, effects being primarily mediated through daughter’s BMI, or the low power of the study.
Highlights
The fact that the groups that have experienced the most oppression and discrimination across generations often have the worst health outcomes, and racial disparities persist across populations with comparable access to health care and, in otherwise low-risk groups [1,2,3,4], suggests that health is affected by factors beyond an individual’s immediate circumstances
The developmental origin of health and disease theory indicates that adult health can be programmed by in utero exposures [5]. Both maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain have been associated with cardiovascular health in the offspring
The Jerusalem Perinatal Study found that greater maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, independent of gestational weight gain and confounders, was significantly associated with higher adult offspring BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), insulin, and triglycerides [9]
Summary
The fact that the groups that have experienced the most oppression and discrimination across generations often have the worst health outcomes, and racial disparities persist across populations with comparable access to health care and, in otherwise low-risk groups [1,2,3,4], suggests that health is affected by factors beyond an individual’s immediate circumstances. The developmental origin of health and disease theory indicates that adult health can be programmed by in utero exposures [5] Both maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain have been associated with cardiovascular health in the offspring. The Jerusalem Perinatal Study found that greater maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, independent of gestational weight gain and confounders, was significantly associated with higher adult offspring BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), insulin, and triglycerides [9]. These studies generally find that the majority of the effect is due to offspring BMI [8,9].
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