Low birth weight from poor maternal nutrition causes later obesity

By Kathleen Blanchard

Researchers now understand the link between infants with low birth weight and obesity later in life.  A team of researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found infants born underweight from poor nutrition of mothers during pregnancy are programmed before birth to eat more. The scientists say neurons that develop poorly may lead to overeating.  

Low birth weight inhibits division of neural stem cells

In a study of animal models, the researchers compared neural stem cells of newborns with low birth weight to normal birth weight controls, finding low birth weight inhibits the division of neural stem cells. 

The result is fewer signals to the brain that controls food intake. The scientists also discovered poor nutrition during pregnancy affects learning and development in addition to increasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis in offspring.  

Dr. Mina Desai, an LA BioMed principal investigator and corresponding author of the new study says, “Obesity and its related diseases are the leading cause of death in our society, yet we have few effective strategies for prevention or treatment. These studies suggest maternal nutrition could play a critical role in preventing obesity and related disease,” and highlights the importance of good nutrition during pregnancy. 

Pregnant women should consume foods from all five food groups daily, according to information from the March of Dimes that includes grains, vegetables, fruits, skim milk products and proteins. During pregnancy 300 more calories above the norm is recommended from healthy snacks. The amount of food needed to ensure normal infant birth weight should be physician guided. 

The researchers say their finding suggests a new target for curbing obesity that affects one in 5 adults in America and 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years. Adequate nutrition during pregnancy is essential for reducing the chances of low birth weight that could contribute to obesity later in life. 

Infants with low birth weight are shown to have poor development of neural stem cells that leads to fewer neurons in the brain and over consumption of food. The scientists suggest maternal nutrition may play a role in rates of obesity later in life. 

Brain Research:  doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.12.080