Aberrant DNA Methylation Mediates the Transgenerational Risk of Metabolic and Chronic Disease Due to Maternal Obesity and Overnutrition

Maternal weight, blood lipids, and the offspring weight trajectories during infancy and early childhood in twin pregnancies

BACKGROUND

The intrauterine environment has a profound and long-lasting influence on the health of the offspring. However, its impact on the postnatal catch-up growth of twin children remains unclarified. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the maternal factors in pregnancy associated with twin offspring growth.

METHODS

This study included 3142 live twin children born to 1571 mothers from the Beijing Birth Cohort Study conducted from 2016 to 2021 in Beijing, China. Original and corrected weight-for-age standard deviation scores of the twin offspring from birth to 36 months of age were calculated according to the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards. The corresponding weight trajectories were identified by the latent trajectory model. Maternal factors in pregnancy associated with the weight trajectories of the twin offspring were examined after adjustment for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Five weight trajectories of the twin children were identified, with 4.9% (154/3142) exhibiting insufficient catch-up growth, 30.6% (961/3142), and 46.8% (1469/3142) showing adequate catch-up growth from different birth weights, and 15.0% (472/3142) and 2.7% (86/3142) showing various degrees of excessive catch-up growth. Maternal short stature [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.691, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.563-0.848, P = 0.0004] and lower total gestational weight gain (GWG) (adjusted OR = 0.774, 95% CI = 0.616-0.972, P = 0.03) were associated with insufficient catch-up growth of the offspring. Maternal stature (adjusted OR = 1.331, 95% CI = 1.168-1.518, P < 0.001), higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) (adjusted OR = 1.230, 95% CI = 1.090-1.387, P < 0.001), total GWG (adjusted OR = 1.207, 95% CI = 1.068-1.364, P = 0.002), GWG rate (adjusted OR = 1.165, 95% CI = 1.027-1.321, P = 0.02), total cholesterol (TC) (adjusted OR = 1.150, 95% CI = 1.018-1.300, P = 0.03) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) (adjusted OR = 1.177, 95% CI = 1.041-1.330) in early pregnancy were associated with excessive growth of the offspring. The pattern of weight trajectories was similar between monochorionic and dichorionic twins. Maternal height, pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG, TC and LDL-C in early pregnancy were positively associated with excess growth in dichorionic twins, yet a similar association was observed only between maternal height and postnatal growth in monochorionic twins.

CONCLUSION

This study identified the effect of maternal stature, weight status, and blood lipid profiles during pregnancy on postnatal weight trajectories of the twin offspring, thereby providing a basis for twin pregnancy management to improve the long-term health of the offspring.

Nutrition and Developmental Origins of Kidney Disease

The developmental programming hypothesis proposes that adverse environmental insults during critical developmental periods increase the risk of diseases later in life. The kidneys are deemed susceptible to such a process, although the exact mechanisms remain elusive. Many factors have been reported to contribute to the developmental origin of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), among which peri-gestational nutrition has a central role, affecting kidney development and metabolism. Physiologically, the link between malnutrition, reduced glomerular numbers, and increased blood pressure is key in the developmental programming of CKD. However, recent studies regarding oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic modifications, and metabolic changes have revealed potential novel pathways for therapeutic intervention. This review will discuss the role of imbalanced nutrition in the development of CKD.

Higher rates of autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in American children: Are food quality issues impacting epigenetic inheritance?

In the United States, schools offer special education services to children who are diagnosed with a learning or neurodevelopmental disorder and have difficulty meeting their learning goals. Pediatricians may play a key role in helping children access special education services. The number of children ages 6-21 in the United States receiving special education services increased 10.4% from 2006 to 2021. Children receiving special education services under the autism category increased 242% during the same period. The demand for special education services for children under the developmental delay and other health impaired categories increased by 184% and 83% respectively. Although student enrollment in American schools has remained stable since 2006, the percentage distribution of children receiving special education services nearly tripled for the autism category and quadrupled for the developmental delay category by 2021. Allowable heavy metal residues remain persistent in the American food supply due to food ingredient manufacturing processes. Numerous clinical trial data indicate heavy metal exposures and poor diet are the primary epigenetic factors responsible for the autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder epidemics. Dietary heavy metal exposures, especially inorganic mercury and lead may impact gene behavior across generations. In 2021, the United States Congress found heavy metal residues problematic in the American food supply but took no legislative action. Mandatory health warning labels on select foods may be the only way to reduce dietary heavy metal exposures and improve child learning across generations.

Effects of Parental Dietary Restriction on Offspring Fitness in Drosophila melanogaster

Dietary restriction (DR) is a well-established strategy to increase lifespan and stress resistance in many eukaryotic species. In addition, individuals fed a restricted diet typically reduce or completely shut down reproduction compared to individuals fed a full diet. Although the parental environment can lead to changes epigenetically in offspring gene expression, little is known about the role of the parental (F₀) diet on the fitness of their offspring (F₁). This study investigated the lifespan, stress resistance, development, body weight, fecundity, and feeding rate in offspring from parental flies exposed to a full or restricted diet. The offspring flies of the parental DR showed increases in body weight, resistance to various stressors, and lifespan, but the development and fecundity were unaffected. Interestingly, parental DR reduced the feeding rate of their offspring. This study suggests that the effect of DR can extend beyond the exposed individual to their offspring, and it should be considered in both theoretical and empirical studies of senescence.

Parental prepregnancy obesity and offspring overweight before two years of age among Chinese women with gestational diabetes

AIMS

To examine the associations of parental obesity prior to pregnancy with offspring overweight before two years of age among children of Chinese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

METHODS

Offspring of women with GDM (n = 774) who were diagnosed in 2010-2012 were followed up to two years of age in Tianjin, China. Multinomial logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of maternal and paternal prepregnancy obesity with offspring overweight at < 1, 1-1.5, and 1.5-2 years of age.

RESULTS

Among 774 offspring of women with GDM, 457 (59.0%) of the offspring developed overweight before two years of age. Maternal prepregnancy obesity was associated with increased risk of offspring overweight at 1-1.5 years of age and 1.5-2 years of age (ORs: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.09-3.59 & 2.14, 1.10-4.15, respectively). Paternal prepregnancy obesity was only associated with elevated risk of offspring overweight at 1.5-2 years of age (1.82, 1.08-3.06). Furthermore, copresence of both maternal and paternal obesity prior to pregnancy had an additive effect on the risk of offspring overweight at 1.5-2 years of age (3.73, 1.50-9.27).

CONCLUSIONS

Parental prepregnancy obesity predicted offspring overweight before two years of age among children of Chinese women with GDM.

Circulating miRNAs Are Associated with Inflammation Biomarkers in Children with Overweight and Obesity: Results of the I.Family Study

Increasing data suggest that overnutrition-induced obesity may trigger an inflammatory process in adipose tissue and upturn in the innate immune system. Numerous players have been involved in governing the inflammatory response, including epigenetics. Among epigenetic players, miRNAs are emerging as crucial regulators of immune cell development, immune responses, autoimmunity, and inflammation. In this study, we aimed at identifying the involvement of candidate miRNAs in relation to inflammation-associated biomarkers in a subsample of European children with overweight and obesity participating in the I.Family study. The study sample included individuals with increased adiposity since this condition contributes to the early occurrence of chronic low-grade inflammation. We focused on the acute-phase reagent C-reactive protein (CRP) as the primary outcome and selected cytokines as plausible biomarkers of inflammation. We found that chronic low-grade CRP elevation shows a highly significant association with miR-26b-3p and hsa-miR-576-5p in boys. Furthermore, the association of CRP with hsa-miR-10b-5p and hsa-miR-31-5p is highly significant in girls. We also observed major sex-related associations of candidate miRNAs with selected cytokines. Except for IL-6, a significant association of hsa-miR-26b-3p and hsa-miR-576-5p with TNF-α, IL1-Ra, IL-8, and IL-15 levels was found exclusively in boys. The findings of this exploratory study suggest sex differences in the association of circulating miRNAs with inflammatory response biomarkers, and indicate a possible role of miRNAs among the candidate epigenetic mechanisms related to the process of low-grade inflammation in childhood obesity.

Genetics, epigenetics and transgenerational transmission of obesity in children

Sedentary lifestyle and consumption of high-calorie foods have caused a relentless increase of overweight and obesity prevalence at all ages. Its presently epidemic proportion is disquieting due to the tight relationship of obesity with metabolic syndrome and several other comorbidities which do call for urgent workarounds. The usual ineffectiveness of present therapies and failure of prevention campaigns triggered overtime a number of research studies which have unveiled some relevant aspects of obesity genetic and epigenetic inheritable profiles. These findings are revealing extremely precious mainly to serve as a likely extra arrow to allow the clinician's bow to achieve still hitherto unmet preventive goals. Evidence now exists that maternal obesity/overnutrition during pregnancy and lactation convincingly appears associated with several disorders in the offspring independently of the transmission of a purely genetic predisposition. Even the pre-conception direct exposure of either father or mother gametes to environmental factors can reprogram the epigenetic architecture of cells. Such phenomena lie behind the transfer of the obesity susceptibility to future generations through a mechanism of epigenetic inheritance. Moreover, a growing number of studies suggests that several environmental factors such as maternal malnutrition, hypoxia, and exposure to excess hormones and endocrine disruptors during pregnancy and the early postnatal period may play critical roles in programming childhood adipose tissue and obesity. A deeper understanding of how inherited genetics and epigenetics may generate an obesogenic environment at pediatric age might strengthen our knowledge about pathogenetic mechanisms and improve the clinical management of patients. Therefore, in this narrative review, we attempt to provide a general overview of the contribution of heritable genetic and epigenetic patterns to the obesity susceptibility in children, placing a particular emphasis on the mother-child dyad.