Before pregnancy even starts, healthy weight in mums and dads lowers obesity risk in children
础耻迟丑辞谤蝉:听,听, and聽
Children born to obese women have聽聽of being obese themselves by age two, compared to children born to women of a recommended body mass index (BMI). Childhood obesity is also聽聽with obesity in fathers.
But how can obesity in adults influence the weight of their children? The answer lies in eggs and sperm. Research shows that egg and sperm cells contain not only the DNA blueprint for a child鈥檚 genetics, but they also聽. These molecules can shape characteristics of the child, including determining risk of obesity.
It鈥檚 why the聽聽identified pre-conception planning among its six-point聽聽published this week.
Both mums and dads shape obesity
Obesity in young children is聽聽with the mothers鈥櫬, as opposed to her weight gain during pregnancy. Childhood obesity is also聽聽obesity in fathers. Paternal BMI is聽聽birthweight of baby boys, and fatness of fathers聽聽daughters鈥 increase in body fat from age five to nine.
Compared to when only one parent is overweight, the risk of children becoming overweight聽聽with two obese parents. This suggests there are distinct biological mechanisms from each of mum and dad that amplify the child鈥檚 susceptibility to obesity. Alterations to both egg and sperm are thought to transmit signals to the embryo and shape risk of future obesity.
Eggs and sperm are more than just DNA
You may recall being taught that sperm carried nothing more than DNA to the egg at conception. However, it has recently been discovered that sperm also carry signals in the form of molecules called non-coding RNAs. Once inside the egg after fertilisation, these molecules can influence how development proceeds.
聽has shown聽聽in the sperm of male mice that are obese compared to mice that are not. Other studies have shown if just the non-coding RNA from sperm of obese mice is injected into mouse eggs, it聽. Non-coding RNAs are also聽, and these may be acting to make children from obese fathers fatter.
Eggs contain all of the building blocks needed to make an embryo, and these are influenced by the mother鈥檚 nutrition. For instance, females who eat more fat have聽. This is likely to influence the embryo鈥檚 metabolism 鈥 that is, its ability to burn energy efficiently 鈥 after fertilisation. Indeed, IVF-generated embryos from obese women have been shown to have聽聽compared to those from non-obese women.
What is emerging as particularly important in this picture is the聽聽鈥 often called the 鈥減owerhouse鈥 of the cell 鈥 which metabolise the fats and sugars in cells to make energy.聽听颈苍听, and聽聽for obesity susceptibility in the offspring that come from these eggs.
All of your mitochondria in all of the cells of your body are thought to be derived from the mitochondria within the egg; they are maternally inherited. If there is a聽, this is聽.
For example, the same defects in the egg鈥檚 mitochondria from obese female mice are聽聽of her pups. This alters the metabolism of the whole animal, increasing lifelong susceptibility to obesity and diabetes. This is one pathway through which the egg鈥檚 exposure to obesity goes on to shape likelihood of obesity in offspring.
Don鈥檛 panic, just get a little healthier
Embryos are often described as being 鈥減lastic鈥: they respond to external signals and adapt their growth and development accordingly. Thus not only do eggs, sperm and embryos react to negative signals such as fatty diets, they will also respond to good nutrition and therapies. So it is entirely possible that changing lifestyle habits can create positive effects in eggs, sperm and embryos.
Treating obese female mice with聽聽for just four days聽. This would equate to approximately one month of treatment in women. Exercise also聽聽in mice.
Improvements in sperm quality聽聽in obese mice who were exercised, and sperm non-coding RNA content聽聽by exercise. The聽聽by diet and exercise interventions in obese male mice, possibly in part via restoration of sperm non-coding RNA.
Similar effects of good nutrition and exercise on egg and sperm characteristics are expected to be seen in humans, but there is little data to date. Two studies have shown that children conceived聽听飞别谤别听聽than siblings conceived by the same mother prior to gastric banding. But losing weight via diet and exercise prior to pregnancy would be just as effective.
Further, we need more clear advice for women who are already pregnant because this is typically when they become most dedicated to being healthy. As such, a number of large international research teams are focused on optimising interventions for obese mothers, including immediately prior to pregnancy. Also as the pre-clinical research highlights, these interventions should be expanded to fathers before conception too.
There is clear biological evidence supporting the policy message that preventing obesity in our adolescents and young adults 鈥 while they are in school, at home and before they have children 鈥 can shape obesity rates in the whole community.
, Senior Research Fellow ,听;听
, Associate Professor ,听, and聽
, The 成人大片 Research Fellow,听
This article was originally published on聽. Read the聽.
