Maternal malnutrition ‘can precondition children for obesity’

Poor diets among pregnant women can increase the likelihood of their offspring being affected by obesity later in life, according to new research.

Scientists from the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center have found that babies with low birth weights due to parental malnutrition tend to develop fewer neurons in the region of the brain controlling food intake.

This serves to explain findings from previous studies showing that children who record a small birth weight, followed by accelerated 'catch-up' growth, are more likely to suffer from obesity, cardiovascular disease or diabetes in adulthood.

Additionally, it was found that the alteration in neural stem cells among these infants may also be linked with behavioural and cognitive changes.

Dr Mina Desai, an LA BioMed principal investigator and corresponding author of the new study, said: "This study demonstrates the importance of maternal nutrition and health in reducing obesity."

Earlier this month, a team from UT Southwestern Medical Center discovered that blocking the cAMP-EPAC pathway in the brain could offer a potential method of affecting excess food cravings.