Are we attacking the wrong targets in the fight against obesity?: the importance of intervention in women of childbearing age

Atkinson, Richard L.; Pietrobelli, Angelo; Uauy, Ricardo; Macdonald, I. A.

doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.149

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Environmental exposures during critical ontogenic periods can wield substantial impact on adult metabolic disease risk, highlighting the potential for developmental interventions to curb the obesity pandemic 2, 3 . In addition to overnutrition 4 , prenatal undernutrition can also increase later risk of obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal growth restriction promotes physical inactivity and obesity in female mice

Baker

Kohorst

et al. 2013

Int J Obes

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Background Environmental exposures during critical periods of prenatal and early postnatal life affect the development of mammalian body weight regulatory mechanisms, influencing lifelong risk of obesity. The specific biologic processes that mediate the persistence of such effects, however, remain poorly understood. Objective The objectives were to determine the developmental timing and physiological basis of the obesity-promoting effect previously reported in offspring of obese agouti viable yellow (Avy/a) mothers. Design Newborn offspring of obese agouti viable yellow (Avy/a) and lean (a/a) mothers were cross-fostered shortly after birth to study separately the effects of in utero or suckling-period exposure to Avy/a dams. Body composition, food intake, physical activity, and energy expenditure were measured in offspring shortly after weaning and in adulthood. Results Offspring of obese Avy/a dams paradoxically experienced fetal growth restriction, which was followed by adult-onset obesity specifically in females. Our main analyses focused on wild type (a/a) offspring, because a subset of adult Avy/a offspring contracted a kidney disease resembling diabetic nephropathy. Detailed physiological characterization demonstrated that, both shortly after weaning and in adulthood, female wild type mice born to Avy/a mothers are not hyperphagic, but have reduced physical activity and energy expenditure. No such coordinated changes were detected in male offspring. Mediational regression analysis of our longitudinal data supported a causal pathway in which fetal growth restriction persistently reduces physical activity, leading to adult obesity. Conclusions Our data are consistent with several recent human epidemiologic studies showing female-specific effects of perinatal nutritional restriction on later obesity, and provide the novel mechanistic insight that this may occur via permanent and sex-specific changes in one’s inherent propensity for physical activity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal growth restriction promotes physical inactivity and obesity in female mice

Baker

Kohorst

et al. 2013

Int J Obes

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“…With more than 40% gaining in excess of Institute of Medicine recommendations [1], pregnancy is now emerging as an important risk factor for excessive weight gain [3] and an important target for obesity prevention studies [4]. Although most studies have focussed on multiethnic, socioeconomically disadvantaged obese women [1, 5–7], there is a growing concern that many healthy, university-educated, nonobese women may also gain excess weight during pregnancy, leading to postpartum weight retention (PPWR) and obesity later in life [3, 8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limiting Excess Weight Gain in Healthy Pregnant Women: Importance of Energy Intakes, Physical Activity, and Adherence to Gestational Weight Gain Guidelines

Cohen

Koski

2013

Journal of Pregnancy

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Few studies have investigated if compliance with energy intakes, physical activity, and weight gain guidelines attenuate postpartum weight retention (PPWR) in mothers attending prenatal classes. We investigated whether (a) daily energy intakes within 300 kcal of estimated energy requirements (EERs), (b) walking more than 5000 steps/day, (c) targeting the recommended weight gain goals for prepregnancy BMI, and/or (d) achieving weekly or total gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations minimized PPWR in 54 women attending prenatal classes in Montreal/Ottawa, Canada. Participants completed a validated pregnancy physical activity questionnaire (PPAQ), 3 telephone-validated 24-hr dietary recalls, and wore a pedometer for one week. PPWR was measured 6 weeks after delivery. Results showed that 72% had healthy prepregnancy BMIs. However, 52% consumed >300 kcal/day in excess of their EER, 54% exceeded recommended GWG, and more overweight (93%) than normal weight women (38%) cited nonrecommended GWG targets. Following delivery, 33% were classified as overweight, and 17% were obese. Multiple logistic regressions revealed that women targeting “recommended weight gain advice” were 3 times more likely to meet total GWG recommendations (OR: 3.2, P < 0.05); women who complied with weekly GWG goals minimized PPWR (OR: 4.2, P < 0.02). In conclusion, appropriate GWG targets, lower energy intakes, and physical activity should be emphasized in prenatal education programs.

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“…Environmental exposures during critical periods of embryonic, fetal, and early postnatal life affect the development of metabolic regulatory mechanisms, with lifelong consequences for susceptibility to disease (1, 2). Maternal overnutrition and obesity, for example, can promote obesity and related metabolic disorders in offspring (3).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, such developmental programming can have transgenerational effects that perpetuate overweight and obesity across successive generations (4). Targeting interventions to critical periods of development may therefore be an effective approach to curbing the global obesity epidemic (1, 5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal exercise during pregnancy promotes physical activity in adult offspring

et al. 2016

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Previous rodent studies have shown that maternal voluntary exercise during pregnancy leads to metabolic changes in adult offspring. We set out to test whether maternal voluntary exercise during pregnancy also induces persistent changes in voluntary physical activity in the offspring. Adult C57BL/6J female mice were randomly assigned to be caged with an unlocked (U) or locked (L) running wheel before and during pregnancy. Maternal running behavior was monitored during pregnancy, and body weight, body composition, food intake, energy expenditure, total cage activity, and running wheel activity were measured in the offspring at various ages. U offspring were slightly heavier at birth, but no group differences in body weight or composition were observed at later ages (when mice were caged without access to running wheels). Consistent with our hypothesis, U offspring were more physically active as adults. This effect was observed earlier in female offspring (at sexual maturation). Remarkably, at 300 d of age, U females achieved greater fat loss in response to a 3-wk voluntary exercise program. Our findings show for the first time that maternal physical activity during pregnancy affects the offspring's lifelong propensity for physical activity and may have important implications for combating the worldwide epidemic of physical inactivity and obesity.-Eclarinal, J. D., Zhu, S., Baker, M. S., Piyarathna, D. B., Coarfa, C., Fiorotto, M. L., Waterland, R. A. Maternal exercise during pregnancy promotes physical activity in adult offspring.

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Are we attacking the wrong targets in the fight against obesity?: the importance of intervention in women of childbearing age

Cited by 15 publications

References 9 publications

Fetal growth restriction promotes physical inactivity and obesity in female mice

Fetal growth restriction promotes physical inactivity and obesity in female mice

Limiting Excess Weight Gain in Healthy Pregnant Women: Importance of Energy Intakes, Physical Activity, and Adherence to Gestational Weight Gain Guidelines

Maternal exercise during pregnancy promotes physical activity in adult offspring

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