A new study published in the Journal of Physiology has found that babies born to pregnant women with obesity are more likely to develop heart problems and diabetes as adults due to fetal damage caused by the high-fat, high-energy diet of their mother. The study demonstrates that maternal obesity alters a critical thyroid hormone in the fetal heart, disrupting its development. Consuming a high-fat, sugary diet during pregnancy increases the likelihood of the unborn baby becoming insulin resistant in adulthood, potentially leading to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. University of South Australia researchers analyzed tissue samples from fetuses of pregnant baboons fed a high-fat, high-energy diet and compared them to fetuses from baboons on a control diet.
Lead author, Melanie Bertossa, a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia, explains that diets high in fat and sugar can alter the molecular pathways in the fetal heart involved in insulin signaling and critical proteins related to glucose uptake. This can increase the risk of cardiac insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes in adulthood. The study found that a maternal high-fat, high-energy diet reduced concentrations of the active thyroid hormone T3 in the fetal heart, affecting its development. Bertossa emphasizes the importance of maternal nutrition before pregnancy, not only for the mother’s well-being but also for the health of the baby, as poor cardiac outcomes were observed in babies with normal birth weights.
Senior author, Professor Janna Morrison, points out that the heart does not make enough new heart muscle cells after birth to repair any damage, so changes that negatively impact these cells before birth could persist for a lifetime and affect heart health in adolescence and adulthood. She suggests that cardiometabolic health screening should be performed on all babies born from pregnancies with unhealthy diets to detect heart disease risks earlier. The study also highlights the necessity of addressing the rising rates of high-fat sugary diets to prevent health complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease which could result in shorter lifespans in the future.
The researchers stress the importance of addressing the negative health impacts of obesity to change the trajectory of rising rates of high-fat, high-energy diets. They are currently undertaking long-term studies to track the health of babies born to women on such diets over decades to better understand the long-term effects. By understanding the link between maternal nutrition and fetal heart development, there is potential to improve the health outcomes of future generations and reduce the risk of heart problems and diabetes later in life. The study serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy for both the mother and the long-term health of her child.