Exposure to maternal fuels during pregnancy and offspring hepatic fat in early childhood: The healthy start study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Intrauterine overnutrition has been associated with paediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the exact mechanisms involved remain unclear.

Objective

To examine whether maternal fuels and metabolic markers during pregnancy are associated with offspring hepatic fat in childhood.

Methods

This analysis included 286 mother-child pairs from the Healthy Start Study, a longitudinal pre-birth cohort in Colorado. Fasting blood draws were collected in early pregnancy (~17 weeks) and mid-pregnancy (~27 weeks). Offspring hepatic fat was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ~5 years.

Results

In early pregnancy, maternal triglycerides (TGs) and free fatty acids (FFAs) were positively associated with offspring hepatic fat [Back-transformed

SUBMITTER: Cohen CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9177565 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature