Abstract
Inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) affects a growing number of pregnancies, influencing intrauterine environment and long-term health. Uncovering molecular mechanisms associated with GWG could be helpful to develop public health strategies for tackling this issue. Here, our study aimed to understand the relationship of DNA telomere length with weigh gain during pregnancy, using data and samples from the ongoing prospective “Mamma & Bambino” study (Catania, Italy). GWG was calculated according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines. Relative telomere length was assessed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 252 samples of maternal leucocyte DNA (mlDNA) and 150 samples of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from amniotic fluid. We observed that relative telomere length of mlDNA seemed to weakly increase with GWG. In contrast, telomere length of cfDNA exhibited a U-shaped relationship with GWG. Women with adequate GWG showed longer telomere length than those who gained weight inadequately. Accordingly, the logistic regression model confirmed the association between telomere length of cfDNA and adequate GWG, after adjusting for potential confounders. Our findings suggest an early effect of GWG on telomere length of cfDNA, which could represent a molecular mechanism underpinning the effects of maternal behaviours on foetal well-being.
Highlights
Gestational weight gain (GWG)—which depends on body composition, weight of the foetus, placenta and amniotic fluid [1]—represents a natural response to host the growing foetus
Women with adequate GWG were those with the lowest pre-pregnancy weight and Body Mass Index (BMI)
With respect to dietary habits, we did not find any association with adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD), but total daily energy intake increased across GWG categories
Summary
Gestational weight gain (GWG)—which depends on body composition, weight of the foetus, placenta and amniotic fluid [1]—represents a natural response to host the growing foetus. More than half of pregnant women do not respect clinical practice guidelines for weight gain [6–8]. The adherence to these guidelines is crucial to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for mothers and their newborns [9–13]. With respect to IOM guidelines, both greater and lower weight gain contribute to shortand long-term health complications [2,14–16]. Excessive GWG is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure [17], diabetes [18], caesarean section [19], postpartum weight retention [20] and obesity [12]. As regard newborns born from mothers who gained weight excessively, they are more likely to be large for gestational age [18,21,22]
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