Importance of Healthy Weight in Pregnancy: Obese Women more Likely to Pass Risk to Grandchildren

The unhealthy weight of a woman can leave a lasting impact on the health of future generations. Highlighting this point, researchers have found that women who were obese during pregnancy transferred a few health risks associated with obesity, including heart and diabetes to their grandchildren.

Previous studies have shown maternal overweight, smoking habit, unhealthy eating habits and a lack of physical activity in pregnancy having a negative impact on children - increasing cardiovascular risks, whereas maternal weight loss eliminates these risks.

However, the current study, published in the journal Endocrinology, contradicts these findings. It states that the excess weight of a mother did not pose any health risks to her children; on the other hand, it placed her grandchildren at higher risks of inheriting health problems associated with obesity.

To analyze the link, researchers at the University of Edinburgh conducted experiments on pregnant mice. The mice, moderately obese at the time of conception, were given a diet high in fat and sugar. The mice gave birth to healthy pups, but the generation that followed the first one was found to be inheriting the risks associated with obesity, including high birth weight and diabetes risk.

However, though the researchers couldn't fully explain the mechanism that led to this occurrence, they cite maternal weight gain and eating habits during pregnancy as playing important roles.

"Given the worldwide increase in obesity, it is vital that we gain an understanding of how future generations may be affected," Dr. Amanda Drake, Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, said in a news release.

The findings come at a time when one-third of women of childbearing age and one in five pregnant women in the United States are obese. According to health experts, a body mass index (BMI) of 19 to 25 is the ideal weight for conceiving.