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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Microbiome and Metabolism Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341607
Title: First trimester maternal adiposity is associated with infant body fat at age 2 weeks: A longitudinal follow-up study

Author
item ANDRES, ALINE - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item RUEBEL, MEGHAN - Michigan State University
item KRUKOSWSKI, REBECCA - University Of Tennessee
item Badger, Thomas - University Of Arkansas
item SHANKAR, KARTIK - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)
item CLEVES, MARIO - Arkansas Children'S Nutrition Research Center (ACNC)

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2017
Publication Date: 4/1/2017
Citation: Andres, A., Ruebel, M., Krukoswski, R., Badger, T.M., Shankar, K., Cleves, M. 2017. First trimester maternal adiposity is associated with infant body fat at age 2 weeks: A longitudinal follow-up study. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 31:958.24.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Maternal obesity has been shown to be associated with childhood obesity risk in both experimental and epidemiological studies. However, longitudinal studies carefully evaluating other contributors to fetal and infant body fat accretion are lacking. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maternal adiposity on fetal fat mass accretion while controlling for gestational weigh gain, physical activity, basal metabolic rate, insulin sensitivity and depression throughout pregnancy. Pregnant women were enrolled in the Glowing Study before gestation week 10 (95 normal weight BMI and 113 overweight and obese BMI). Adiposity (Air Displacement Plethysmography, ADP), basal metabolic rate and respiratory exchange ratios (indirect calorimetry), physical activity (total activity counts by accelerometry), insulin sensitivity (ISHOMA) and maternal depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) were evaluated during the first trimester of gestation. Body weight was evaluated every 6 weeks throughout gestation and at each visit participants were provided with counseling to assist them with adhering to the Institute of Medicine gestational weight gain guidelines. Infant body fat mass was measured using ADP at age 2 weeks. Multiple regression analyses demonstrate that maternal adiposity (% body fat) is significantly associated with infant body fat (%) at age 2 weeks (B=0.15, P=0.0004) when controlling for infant sex, race, gestational age, delivery method, maternal age, gestational weight gain, insulin sensitivity, total activity counts, basal metabolic rate, respiratory exchange ratio and BDI scores. Sex (P=0.03), race (P=0.02), gestational weight gain (P=0.01), delivery method (P=0.01) and gestational age (P=0.02) were also significantly associated with infant body fat (%) in this study. In conclusion, this longitudinal prospective study provides further support that maternal adiposity is significantly associated with infant body fat at age 2 weeks even after adjusting for important confounders. Ongoing follow-up of the cohort will determine whether these effects are sustained later in life.