Obesity in pregnant women affects the biological age of babies

Babies from obese mothers have shorter telomeres
If pregnant women suffer from obesity, this can lead to increased biological age of the babies. Belgian researchers have now found that babies from obese mothers have shorter telomeres compared to babies from normal-weight mothers. So-called telomeres are considered as markers of biological age.

Hasselt University researchers in Belgium found that obesity in expectant mothers affected the biological age of newborns. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "BMC Medicine".

Obesity can lead to various diseases in those affected. Obesity of mothers even affects their babies. Such newborns have shortened telomeres. These are considered markers of biological age. (Photo: Kletr / fotolia.com)

Physicians examine the data of over 700 mothers and their babies
The researchers analyzed the data from 743 mothers aged 17-44 for their study. In addition, the data of newborns were also evaluated. For this, samples of umbilical cord blood from each newborn were taken immediately after birth.

What are telomeres?
The scientists looked at the genetic material in the cells of the babies, especially the length of their telomeres. So-called telomeres are the caps on the ends of the chromosomes, which are supposed to protect the chromosomes from damage.

Telomeres get shorter in the course of life
Telomeres naturally shorten as we age. But they do not shorten each other at the same rate, the experts say. The longer the telomeres of a person are, the more often their cells can still share. For this reason, one considers telomeres as markers of biological age. So the age of the cells, but not the chronological age, the researchers add.

Increase in BMI linked to shortening of telomeres
Compared to newborns with normal-weight mothers, the newborn babies of obese mothers had shorter telomeres. An increase in the body mass index (BMI) of the mother of only one point was associated with a shortening of the telomeres in the newborn by about 50 base pairs. This shortening of 50 base pairs corresponds to the length of a telomere that an adult would lose within a year, explain the Belgian experts.

BMI of the mother affects the fetal programming of the DNA
High maternal BMI influences the fetal programming of DNA. This leads to a change in fetal development and can trigger various diseases later in life, explains co-author Professor Tim Nawrot of Hasselt University in Belgium. In adults, shorter telomeres are associated with age-related diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

BMI of the fathers in study not considered
In their study, researchers also considered other factors besides the length of the telomeres, such as the age of the parents, the socioeconomic status, smoking and birth weight of the babies. However, the current study found only one association. The results do not prove that the weight of a mother must lead to shorter telomere lengths in babies, the researchers explain. There was no information about the father's weight during the investigation. This, too, could potentially affect the length of baby telomeres, the authors add. Further research on this topic is urgently needed. (As)