Maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy is crucial not only for the mother but also for the long-term health of the child. Researchers from Rutgers University have found that children born to mothers who are obese during pregnancy and nursing may be more likely to develop obesity themselves. The study suggests that “early over-nutrition” in the womb can alter a child’s developing brain, leading to an increased desire for unhealthy foods and snacks later in life.
To explore the connection between maternal weight and children’s future eating habits, researchers conducted an experiment using mice. Some mice were allowed to become obese by consuming high-fat food during pregnancy and breastfeeding, while others were kept lean by being fed healthier diets. The study found that adolescent mice born to obese mothers remained slim in adulthood when given unlimited access to healthy food but tended to overeat when exposed to unhealthy foods.
The results suggest that individuals born to overweight mothers during pregnancy and nursing may struggle to regulate their snacking habits but can still maintain a healthy weight by consuming nutritious foods. This research may contribute to the development of brain-targeted drugs designed to reduce unhealthy food cravings. “Over-nutrition during pregnancy and nursing appears to rewire the brains of developing children and, possibly, future generations,” says Mark Rossi, a professor of psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and senior author of the study.
In the experiment, high-fat food was provided to three sister mice, and healthier food was given to another three sister mice. After breastfeeding, the researchers observed nearly 50 offspring. As anticipated, the adolescent mice had varying weights depending on their mother’s diet. When all mice were given unlimited access to healthy food, their collective weights converged at healthy levels. However, when exposed to a high-fat diet, all mice overate, with those born to overweight mothers consuming significantly more than their counterparts.
Further analysis suggests that the observed behaviors likely result from differences in connections between two distinct brain regions (the hypothalamus and the amygdala), caused by variations in maternal nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The study offers mixed implications for individuals born to overweight mothers who struggle with weight gain as adults. While it is possible to maintain a healthy weight by consuming nutritious foods and avoiding junk food, trying to consume moderate amounts of unhealthy treats may lead to overconsumption and obesity.
In the future, these findings regarding disrupted brain circuits in the two groups of rodents may help inform the development of new drugs that could block the excessive desire to consume unhealthy foods. “There’s still more work to do because we don’t yet fully understand how these changes are happening, even in mice,” says Prof. Rossi. “But each experiment tells us a little more, and each little bit we learn about the processes that drive overeating may uncover a strategy for potential therapies.”
