Babies Born to Obese Mothers at Higher Risk of Heart Disease

First Posted: Mar 01, 2013 07:39 AM EST
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A latest Australian study states that babies born to overweight or obese mothers show an early sign of heart diseases.  

According to a study conducted by University of Sydney, babies born to mothers who are overweight or obese had a thickened lining in the aorta, which is a common sign of heart disease.

The study was conducted on 23 pregnant women when they were 16 weeks into their pregnancy. Their average age was 35 years. Amongst the babies born, 10 were boys whose birth weight differed from 1.85 kgs to 4.31 kgs. If the body mass index was more than 25 kg/m2, it was defined as obese or overweight.  The participants in this study had a BMI of 17 kg/m2 to 42 kg/m2. Those with a BMI of more than 25 were more likely to give birth to babies whose walls of aorta were thick.

Before the babies were 7 days old, the researchers scanned their abdominal aorta, part of the artery that extends to the abdomen. The researchers did this to check how thick the two innermost walls were, i.e., the media and intima.

They noticed the thickness was associated with the mother's weight. The intima-media thickness varied from 0.65 mm-0.97 mm. More the mother's weight, greater was the initima-media thickness. The baby's weight did not cause any changes to this.

A difference of 0.06 mm was noticed in those babies born to obese mothers versus those born to normal weight mothers.

Study author Dr. Michael Skilton from the University of Sydney was quoted in Scotsman saying, "The earliest physical signs of atherosclerosis are present in the abdominal aorta, and aortic thickness is considered the best non-invasive measure of the body's vascular system. This may also explain how a mum being overweight might affect her child's subsequent risk of heart disease and stroke in later life."

The study was published in the Fetal and Neonatal Edition of the Archives of Disease of Child.

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