2024-03-30 18:25:31
It is estimated that the obese population in some developed countries may reach 50% by 2030, which will not only affect the health of obese people, but may also have serious consequences for future generations. Recently, scientists from the University of Geneva conducted animal experiments to study the impact of pregnancy obesity on the risk of liver cancer in offspring. They found that the offspring of obese female mice have a significantly increased risk of the disease. The results were published in the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) online open journal “JHEP Reports”.
Obese mothers have metabolic and endocrine disorders, which may disrupt fetal metabolism and even affect postnatal health. But what is the exact impact? The academic community is still unclear. Christian Toso, a professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Geneva, explained: “We want to know whether children of obese mothers are at a higher risk of developing liver disease? Through what biological mechanisms?”
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The female rats in the experimental group were fed a diet rich in fat and sugar (similar to junk food) and quickly became fat; the control group was fed normally. The offspring of the two groups of pregnant female mice ate normally and had normal weight. The only difference was whether the mother was obese.
Lead author Beat Moeckli, a surgeon and researcher, said: “20 weeks following the birth of mice, which is equivalent to human adulthood, no obvious abnormalities were detected; however, by 40 weeks, which is the old age of mice, the livers of the experimental group of mice It started to get worse.” Liver index including fatty liver, liver fibrosis and inflammation were all significantly increased.
The impact of maternal obesity on offspring lasts long following birth
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Since these indices are major risk factors for human liver cancer, the team further confirmed whether mice are more susceptible to liver cancer. In another experiment, researchers injected mice with carcinogens that induce liver cancer immediately following weaning and found that the offspring of obese mothers had a significantly greater risk of developing cancer. increased to four times that of the control group.
Moeckli explained: “The results show that the effects of maternal obesity on offspring last for a long time, most likely through microorganisms.” Obese mothers pass on unhealthy gut bacteria to their offspring. The team also observed that when two groups of mice were kept in the same cage, they soon shared microbial strains, bacterial diversity increased, and eventually healthy microbiota regained the upper hand. The liver index of mice also decreased and approached normal.
But does a similar phenomenon occur in humans? Animal experiments are conducted in well-controlled environments and may not reflect real conditions. The team needs to confirm it in the human body, and will conduct follow-up research and analyze a large amount of health data from decades of surveys of women and their children to find more convincing evidence.
(First image source: shutterstock)
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