Maternal obesity impacts offspring’s eating behaviors, leading them to eat a lot, but exercising during pregnancy normalizes this disorder in mice.
- Maternal obesity in mice increases microRNA levels in the hypothalamus of offspring.
- These high rates lead the young to eat more than the others.
- However, the effect of maternal obesity on microRNA levels and eating behaviors was attenuated if mothers exercised during pregnancy.
By studying mice, researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that maternal obesity has an impact on the eating behavior of her offspring. The young tend to eat more than others later on. However, increased physical activity during pregnancy seems to limit this effect, according to the study published in PLOS Biology June 4, 2024.
Maternal obesity: it modifies the eating behavior of children
During their work, the scientists discovered that mice born to obese mothers had higher levels of miR-505-5p microRNA in their hypothalamus… and this, from the fetal stage to adulthood. In addition, these rodents ate more and showed an increased preference for high-fat foods.
“Cell culture experiments showed that miR-505-5p expression could be induced by exposing hypothalamic neurons to long-chain fatty acids and insulin, both of which are elevated in obese pregnancies. The researchers identified miR-505-5p as a novel regulator of pathways involved in fatty acid uptake and metabolism.”the authors specify in their communicatedThey suggest that high levels of the microRNA make the children’s brains unable to detect when high-fat foods are being consumed.
Why is this mouse study interesting to us? This is one of the first studies to demonstrate the existence of a molecular mechanism linking nutritional exposure in utero to adult feeding behavior. In addition, several of the genes regulated by miR-505-5p have been associated with high body mass index in human genetics studies.
Overeating: Physical activity during pregnancy prevents it
The team discovered another interesting finding in this research. The effect of maternal obesity on miR-505-5p levels and feeding behaviors in their offspring was attenuated if mothers exercised during pregnancy.
“Our results show that obesity during pregnancy causes changes in the baby’s brain that make them eat more high-fat foods as adults and are more likely to develop obesity. Importantly, we showed that moderate exercise, without weight loss, during obese pregnancies prevented the changes in the baby’s brain.”explain the authors. They add that their results help to “understand why children of obese mothers are more likely to become obese themselves, with early exposures, genetics and current environment all contributing factors.”
