Funded by both the Special Foundation for National Science and Technology Basic Research Program of China (grant reference 2019FY101002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant reference 42271433), the project proceeded.
The high incidence of excess weight among children less than five years old emphasizes the importance of early-life risk factors. Preconception and pregnancy periods are key stages where interventions can most impact the future prevention of childhood obesity. While individual early-life factors have been extensively analyzed, relatively few studies have probed the combined influence of parental lifestyle behaviors. Our objective was to identify and address the missing information regarding parental lifestyle choices both before conception and during pregnancy, and to evaluate their correlation with the risk of excess weight in children over five years of age.
Data from the four European mother-offspring cohorts—EDEN (1900 families), Elfe (18000 families), Lifeways (1100 families), and Generation R (9500 families)—underwent harmonization and interpretive analysis. Multidisciplinary medical assessment Formal written informed consent was obtained from every child's parent for their participation. Data from questionnaires regarding lifestyle factors included parental smoking habits, BMI, gestational weight gain, dietary intake, physical activity levels, and sedentary behavior. Our investigation into lifestyle patterns during preconception and pregnancy employed principal component analyses. The study's assessment of the association between their affiliation with child BMI z-scores and the risk of overweight (including obesity and overweight, as categorized by the International Task Force) involved cohort-specific multivariable linear and logistic regression models, while accounting for confounding variables such as parental age, education level, employment, geographic origin, parity, and household income, specifically for children between the ages of 5 and 12.
In examining lifestyle patterns across all groups, two significant factors emerged as key drivers of variance: a combination of high parental smoking and poor maternal diet, or high maternal inactivity, and a combination of high parental BMI and insufficient gestational weight gain. Prior or concurrent pregnancy lifestyle factors, such as high parental BMI, smoking, poor dietary habits, and inactivity, exhibited a correlation with elevated BMI z-scores and a heightened risk of overweight and obesity among children aged 5 to 12.
Parental lifestyle factors, as reflected in our data, offer insights into their potential correlation with childhood obesity risks. nutritional immunity These valuable findings provide crucial information for developing future family-focused and multifaceted child obesity prevention strategies during early childhood.
The European Joint Programming Initiative 'A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life' (JPI HDHL, EndObesity) and the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under the ERA-NET Cofund action (reference 727565) are projects that share common goals.
The European Joint Programming Initiative A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL, EndObesity), in conjunction with the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under the ERA-NET Cofund action (reference 727565), represents a crucial initiative.
Gestational diabetes in a mother can elevate the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the subsequent generation, impacting both the mother and her child. Strategies that address cultural nuances are required to prevent gestational diabetes. The investigation conducted by BANGLES focused on the relationship between women's periconceptional diets and the chance of gestational diabetes.
The BANGLES study, a prospective, observational investigation of 785 women, recruited participants in Bangalore, India, at gestational ages ranging from 5 to 16 weeks, with varied socioeconomic circumstances. The periconceptional diet was recalled at recruitment using a validated 224-item food frequency questionnaire, streamlined to 21 food groups for gestational diabetes analysis linked to dietary factors, and to 68 food groups for the principal component analysis, aimed at elucidating diet patterns and their relationship to gestational diabetes. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was undertaken to assess the relationship between gestational diabetes and dietary patterns, while controlling for confounders previously identified in the literature. A 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test, aligned with the 2013 World Health Organization's standards, was utilized to assess gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy.
Women who consumed whole-grain cereals, as well as those with moderate egg consumption (>1-3 times/week), demonstrated lower risks of gestational diabetes. The adjusted odds ratio for whole-grain cereal consumption was 0.58 (95% CI 0.34-0.97, p=0.003). For moderate egg consumption, it was 0.54 (95% CI 0.34-0.86, p=0.001). Higher weekly intake of pulses/legumes, nuts/seeds, and fried/fast food were also associated with reduced gestational diabetes risk, with adjusted ORs of 0.81, 0.77, and 0.72, respectively (all p-values <0.05). The observed associations, after adjusting for multiple testing, were not statistically significant. Among older, affluent, educated, urban women, a dietary pattern marked by the consumption of diverse home-cooked and processed foods was associated with a lower risk of a condition (adjusted odds ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.64-0.99, p=0.004). The strongest risk factor for gestational diabetes, BMI, possibly moderated the influence of dietary patterns on the condition's development.
The same nutritional categories, correlated with a lower incidence of gestational diabetes, were key elements of the high-diversity, urban dietary style. The idea of a single, healthy dietary approach might not resonate with the Indian population. Evidence from the findings supports worldwide initiatives encouraging women to attain a healthy body mass index before pregnancy, to broaden their dietary intake to prevent gestational diabetes, and to create policies that improve access to affordable food.
The Schlumberger Foundation, a pillar of support.
Schlumberger Foundation, a charitable organization.
The prevailing focus on BMI trajectories in research has been on childhood and adolescence, overlooking the equally important developmental stages of birth and infancy, which are also crucial to the development of cardiometabolic disease later in life. Our aim was to map BMI trajectories from birth through childhood, and to explore whether these trajectories forecast health outcomes at age 13; and, if they do, to explore if variations exist regarding specific timeframes of early life BMI impacting future health outcomes.
Participants selected from schools in Vastra Gotaland, Sweden, were subjected to questionnaires on perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms and to further examinations evaluating cardiometabolic risk factors (BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, pulse-wave velocity, and white blood cell counts). We acquired a retrospective dataset of ten weight and height measurements, obtained for children from birth to twelve years of age. Data analysis focused on participants with at least five measurements, namely one at birth, a single assessment between the ages of six and eighteen months, two assessments between the ages of two and eight years, and one more between the ages of ten and thirteen years. We leveraged group-based trajectory modeling to discern BMI trajectories, complemented by ANOVA for comparative analysis of the different trajectories, and concluded with linear regression to scrutinize potential associations.
Following the recruitment process, 1902 participants were obtained, including 829 boys (44%) and 1073 girls (56%), with a median age of 136 years (interquartile range, 133 to 138 years). Our analysis revealed three distinct BMI trajectories, categorized as normal gain (847 participants, 44%), moderate gain (815 participants, 43%), and excessive gain (240 participants, 13%). The distinguishing marks that separated these developmental paths materialized before the age of two. Controlling for variables such as sex, age, migration status, and parental income, respondents demonstrating excessive weight gain presented with a larger waist size (mean difference 1.92 meters [95% confidence interval 1.84-2.00 meters]), elevated systolic blood pressure (mean difference 3.6 millimeters of mercury [95% confidence interval 2.4-4.4 millimeters of mercury]), increased white blood cell counts (mean difference 0.710 cells per liter [95% confidence interval 0.4-0.9 cells per liter]), and elevated stress levels (mean difference 11 [95% confidence interval 2-19]), despite comparable pulse-wave velocity measurements compared to adolescents with normal weight gain. Among adolescents with moderate weight gain, there were statistically significant increases in waist circumference (mean difference 64 cm [95% CI 58-69]), systolic blood pressure (mean difference 18 mm Hg [95% CI 10-25]), and stress score (mean difference 0.7 [95% CI 0.1-1.2]) when compared against adolescents with normal weight gain. Time-based observations demonstrate a substantial positive correlation between early-life BMI and systolic blood pressure. For participants with excessive weight gain, this correlation initiated at approximately age six, significantly predating the onset observed at age twelve in participants with normal and moderate weight gain. Temozolomide mouse Across the three BMI trajectories, the timeframes for waist circumference, white blood cell counts, stress, and psychosomatic symptoms were strikingly consistent.
The relationship between an excessive BMI gain trajectory from infancy to both cardiometabolic risk and stress-related psychosomatic problems is observable in adolescents prior to the age of 13.
The Swedish Research Council awarded a grant (reference 2014-10086).
Recognizing the Swedish Research Council's grant, reference 2014-10086.
In 2000, Mexico declared an obesity crisis, pioneering public health initiatives through natural experiments, though the impact on high BMI remains unevaluated. Long-term outcomes stemming from childhood obesity motivate our concentration on children under five years of age.