Obesity and offspring

By Oluwaseyi Ogundana, MBS 2019, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Mentor: Darina Lazarova, PhD


“I’m lovin’ the better ingredients, better pizza that is finger lickin’ good so I can have it my way while thinking outside the Bun”.

If you are a fast food connoisseur, this previous sentence has you probably counting how many restaurants slogans were in it. In a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three Americans eats fast food every day. Which is why it is not surprising that thirty-four percent of adults and twenty percent of children in the United States are obese.

The issue of weight is typically one that young girls become aware of earlier in life. I grew up in a community where both extremes of body weight were consistently criticized. It is not uncommon to find a girl looking at herself critically in the mirror due to insensitive comments from the adults and children around her - I know I did. My weight has always been either the most interesting or the least interesting aspect of my personhood. Now as a young woman in America, my weight is in my daily thoughts. Anytime I make a food decision, I find myself counting calories followed by either making mental plans to go to the gym or simply putting that food down. A simple search on YouTube or Google, gives access to hundreds of videos by mostly women documenting their journey of gaining or losing weight, sharing the emotional trauma of body image issues, and what changed their perspective to change their lives. The issue of obesity is prevalent, and it has been described as an epidemic.

Why is it that “normal” weight is so important and why should women care? It turns out that obesity during pregnancy is detrimental to the health of the fetus and the mother. Pregnant obese women put their offspring at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive disorders, obesity, and hypertension. Any woman willing to have a healthy child in the future has to monitor her body weight and body mass index. Unfortunately, with the increasing obesity rates in the nation, drastic measures are needed to protect the young generation from obesity-associated disorders.

What do we know about the problem? Researchers used a pregnant rat model to simulate maternal obesity, in this study they concluded that increased high fat diet put the offspring at a 67% to 88% risk of mild cognitive disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mood and stress related disorders. In another study, researchers found that metabolic disorders are increased in obesity. These metabolic disorders further put the mother and offspring at risk for heart diseases. There is still a lot of research that can be done; however, the current data support that maternal obesity puts the offspring at risk for devastating health outcomes.

This leads us to the question, who can rectify this issue?
I believe, the physicians can. Specifically, obstetricians and gynecologists. It is my opinion, the issue of maternal obesity needs to be tackled before pregnancy. When women come in for check-ups, physicians should have conversations with them about the risks of pregnancy and obesity. Refer the women at risk to nutritionists and recommend exercise plans. Currently, pregnant mothers are encouraged to take folate, dark-green vegetables, nuts, liver and citruses among other healthy and nutritious foods. If the patient comes in post-partum, physicians should recommend breastfeeding. Studies have shown that there is a reduced risk of developing metabolic syndromes, diabetes, postpartum depression, cardiovascular disease and cancer when the mother breastfeeds the baby. It is imperative that physicians are not only make the women aware of the obesity-associated risks but also provide actionable solutions. Congruently, politicians have to be involved in sustainable social changes. Policies have to be enacted that impose regulations on the food industry. An epidemic requires a team effort between healthcare providers and policy makers.

What does the future hold? Can maternal obesity be resolved? As scary as it sounds that dietary decisions of the mother can impact the child’s health, there is a hope. With the right amount of exercise, commitment, and discipline pregnant women can significantly reduce complications of maternal obesity such as type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. When the mother is healthy, the risk of the child being unhealthy is significantly decreased. The future is brighter, if we all work together to get our new mothers healthy.







References



Advergize. (2018, December 18). 15 Famous Slogans: Top Fast Food Restaurants. Retrieved from https://advergize.com/advertising/famous-slogans-top-fast-food-restaurants/





Kong, L., Norstedt, G., Schalling, M., Gissler, M., & Lavebratt, C. (2018, September 01). The Risk of Offspring Psychiatric Disorders in the Setting of Maternal Obesity and Diabetes. Retrieved February 27, 2019







Mitchell, N. S., Catenacci, V. A., Wyatt, H. R., & Hill, J. O. (2011). Obesity: overview of an epidemic. The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 34(4), 717-32.







Rising Obesity in the United States Is a Public Health Crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/rising-obesity-united-states-public-health-crisis