Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weightloss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery, says a statement released by The Endocrine Society, Chevy Chase, Md.
The article, “Effects of maternal surgical weight loss on intergenerational transmission of obesity,” will appear in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Previous studies of obese pregnant women have shown that obesity and its comorbidities can be transmitted to their children, which indicates that the intrauterine environment may determine whether a child at birth is already destined to become obese, says the statement.
John Kral, MD, PhD, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and coauthor of the study, said in the statement that the study confirms previous research showing that the intrauterine environment may be more important than genes and the post-natal environment when it comes to the association between maternal obesity and childhood obesity. Any medical or surgical treatment to reduce obesity and existing metabolic disorders before pregnancy can be an investment in the life of future offspring, he added.
Weight-loss surgery limits the amount of food a person can consume and some of these operations also restrict the amount of food that can be digested, said the statement. This study focused on women who had undergone biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) prior to becoming pregnant. BPD changes the normal process of digestion by making the stomach smaller and directing food to bypass part of the small intestine resulting in fewer calorie absorption.
Specifically, researchers studied 49 mothers who had undergone BPD surgery and their 111 children (between the ages of 2.5 and 25 years). All mothers in the study had children born before and then after their weight-loss surgery. The research found that children who were born after their mother underwent weightloss surgery had reduced birth weight and waist circumference and were three times less likely to become severely obese. Furthermore, children born after their mother’s weight-loss surgery had improved cardiovascular markers including reduced insulin resistance and lower cholesterol.
Kral said in the statement that the researchers believe their paper is the first to demonstrate that dramatic maternal weight loss causes metabolic improvements in their children. Our findings show that obese women should be encouraged to lose weight before becoming pregnant, and then, once pregnant, should limit their weight gain, he added. For those women interested in both surgical treatment and having children, we believe surgery should come first. Preventing obesity and treating it effectively in young women could prevent further transmission to future generations, he said.
Other researchers working on the study include J. Smith, K. Cianflone, S. Simard, and Picard Marceau of the Centre de Recherche Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et Pneumologie de Quebec; S. Biron, S. Lebel, S. Marceau, O. Lescelleur, and L. Biertho of Laval University in Quebec; and Kral.
Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endo-society.org.
[Source: Endocrine Society]
