Maternal prepregnancy BMI predicts cardiometabolic outcomes in offspring

High maternal BMI prior to pregnancy appears to contribute to a BMI increase in their offspring during childhood, reveals a study. Moreover, preterm children are more likely to develop hypertension than their term counterparts.

This observational cohort study was conducted in 13,810 children from 44 Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohorts, with the aim of exploring associations of maternal prepregnancy BMI with offspring BMI and blood pressure in childhood, especially for those born preterm.

The authors used four levels of maternal prepregnancy BMI and child BMI. They also categorized children as being born extremely, very, or moderately preterm; late preterm; or term.

A monotonic dose association was observed between maternal prepregnancy BMI level and child BMI z-scores following adjustments for maternal education, maternal age at delivery, and singleton birth.

For blood pressure outcomes, only children born extremely preterm to mothers with healthy weight and obesity and those born very/moderately preterm to mothers with healthy weight showed greater risks of elevated blood pressure or hypertension than their term counterparts.

“High maternal prepregnancy BMI was associated with a stepwise increase in offspring BMI in childhood,” the authors said.

“These findings highlight a possible window of opportunity to modify lifestyles and behaviour of at-risk children prior to adolescence to positively impact adolescent cardiometabolic health,” they added.