Maternal Weight in Pregnancy and Offspring Body Composition in Late Adulthood: Findings from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS)
Open accessAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Maternal obesity has long-term consequences for the offspring's later health, including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The underlying mechanisms explaining these associations are, however, not fully understood. METHODS: A total of 2003 individuals from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study born 1934-44, underwent measurements of body size, body composition, and clinical characteristics at a mean age of 62 years. Data on maternal anthropometry were available from hospital records. RESULTS: Maternal BMI was positively associated with BMI in the offspring. Higher maternal BMI was associated with less favorable body composition in the offspring. There was a significant interaction between birth weight and maternal BMI on offspring body fat percentage (P for interaction 0.003). In mothers with low BMI, a higher offspring birth weight was associated with lower fat percentage, while among those with maternal BMI in the highest fourth, higher offspring birth weight predicted higher body fat percentage. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that a disadvantageous body composition is programmed in early life. This may in part underlie the association between maternal obesity and later cardio-metabolic health of the offspring. These findings support the importance of prevention of overweight in women of child-bearing age.
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Maternal obesity is linked to cognitive dysfunction, immune alterations, and elevated cancer-related mortality in the offspring.
“Maternal obesity has additionally been linked to cognitive dysfunction, immune alterations, and elevated cancer-related mortality in the offspring.”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Maternal obesity can adversely impact newborn body composition and adiposity, which are related to adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, higher cancer morbidity, and an increased mortality ratio in general.
“Maternal obesity can have an adverse impact on newborn body composition and adiposity, which are related to adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, higher cancer morbidity and an increased mortality ratio in general.”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Maternal obesity is associated with adverse outcomes for offspring long-term health.
“It is well established that maternal obesity is associated with adverse outcomes for offspring long-term health.”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Increased adiposity in offspring can explain the relationship between high maternal BMI and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases.
“Increased adiposity in offspring can explain the relationship between high maternal BMI and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases [73,74,75].”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Parental health and diet, not only during pregnancy but also prior to conception, play a crucial role in shaping disease susceptibility across generations.
“The concept of transgenerational inheritance thus expands the traditional view of fetal programming, emphasizing that parental health and diet—not only during pregnancy but also prior to conception—play a crucial role in shaping disease susceptibility across generations [73,169,175,177,178,179].”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Both maternal and paternal nutritional environments before and during conception can profoundly influence offspring metabolic programming through heritable epigenetic mechanisms.
“Together, these findings demonstrate that both maternal and paternal nutritional environments before and during conception can profoundly influence offspring metabolic programming through heritable epigenetic mechanisms.”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
Emerging evidence indicates that paternal factors also contribute to fetal programming through epigenetic modifications in sperm.
“While much focus has been placed on maternal influences, emerging evidence indicates that paternal factors also contribute to fetal programming through epigenetic modifications in sperm [73,177].”
From Maternal Overnutrition and Fetal Programming: Long-Term Metabolic, Cognitive, and Epigenetic Consequences (2026) · cites this paper as [73]
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References 32 · Cited by 129
- Authors
- Eriksson, J. G., Sandboge, S., Salonen, M., Kajantie, E., & Osmond, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (FI)
- Southampton General Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Eriksson, Johan G.
- Venue
- Annals of Medicine
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2015-02-17
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 94-99
- ISSN
- 0785-3890 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2060
- OpenAlex
- W2155383308
- Cited by
- 129
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2
- FWCI
- 24.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Annals of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- STM:n Hallinnonalan avoin julkaisuarkisto (Julkari) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Signe ja Ane Gyllenbergin Säätiö
- Novo Nordisk Fonden (NNF12OC1016374)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- maternal obesity, maternal body mass index, birth weight, offspring body composition, body fat percentage, old age, fetal programming, cardiometabolic health, type 2 diabetes risk, cardiovascular risk, maternal anthropometry, Helsinki Birth Cohort Study
- MeSH terms
- Anthropometry, Birth Weight, Body Composition, Body Weight, Body Weights and Measures, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Female, Finland, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Risk Factors, Social Class, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index, Linear Models, Logistic Models, Adult Children, Adiposity
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