Maternal diet quality during pregnancy is associated with biomarkers of metabolic risk among male offspring

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis Limited data exist on the association between maternal diet quality during pregnancy and metabolic traits in offspring during early childhood, which is a sensitive period for risk of obesity-related disorders later in life. We aimed to examine the association of maternal diet quality, as indicated by the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI), in pregnancy with offspring metabolic biomarkers and body composition at age 4-7 years. Methods We used data from 761 mother-offspring pairs from the Healthy Start study to examine sex-specific associations of HEI >57 vs ≤57 with offspring fasting glucose, leptin, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, percentage fat mass, BMI z score and log-transformed insulin, 1/insulin, HOMA-IR, adiponectin, triacylglycerols, triacylglycerols:HDL, fat mass, and sum of skinfolds. Multivariable linear regression models accounted for maternal race/ethnicity, age, education, smoking habits during pregnancy and physical activity, and child's age. Results During pregnancy, mean (SD) HEI score was 55.0 (13.3), and 43.0% had an HEI score >57. Among boys, there was an inverse association of maternal HEI with offspring glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and adiponectin. For instance, maternal HEI >57 was associated with lower fasting glucose (−0.11; 95% CI −0.20, −0.02 mmol/l), and lower concentrations of: insulin by 15.3% (95% CI −24.6, −5.0), HOMA-IR by 16.3% (95% CI −25.7, −5.6) and adiponectin by 9.3% (95% CI −16.1, −2.0). Among girls, there was an inverse association of maternal HEI with insulin and a positive association with LDL. However, following covariate adjustment, all estimates among girls were attenuated to the null. Conclusions/interpretation Greater compliance with the USA Dietary Guidelines via the HEI may improve the maternal-fetal milieu and decrease susceptibility for poor metabolic health among offspring, particularly boys. Future studies are warranted to confirm these associations and determine the underlying mechanisms.

Maternal thyroid disease in pregnancy and timing of pubertal development in sons and daughters

“…Thus, from a fetal programming hypothesis, it seems as if the male fetus may be more sensitive to an excess of thyroid hormones in relation to pubertal development. Previous studies have identified a similar male-specific effect to an intrauterine exposure perhaps due to an increased vulnerability of the male fetus (50)(51)(52). Additionally, we found tendencies of associations between all 3 maternal thyroid diseases and pubertal development in sons when the disease was diagnosed before birth perhaps due to inadequate treatment during pregnancy.…”

Male Rat Offspring Are More Impacted by Maternal Obesity Induced by Cafeteria Diet than Females—Additive Effect of Postweaning Diet

“…For example, Francis et al studied 761 mother-offspring pairs to assess the relationship between the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) in pregnancy and offspring body weight, fat mass, and metabolic measures. Results showed an inverse correlation between maternal HEI and glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and adiponectin in male, but not female children [42]. Animal studies from our laboratory have also shown that maternal obesity is associated with glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, increased leptin level, and hyperphagia in male rat offspring [43].…”

Maternal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy is associated with child peripubertal markers of metabolic health but not adiposity

“…We assessed maternal CHO intake in quartiles to allow for non-linear associationsan approach that is widely accepted and conventional in nutritional epidemiology (e.g. (35)(36)(37) ). The estimates of interest were pairwise contrasts between the second, third and fourth quartiles of maternal CHO intake v. the first quartile as the referent, along with P-trend and type 3 P-differences to assess statistical significance of associations.…”