A new study conducted by researchers at the University of London has found that children born to obese parents are more likely to become obese themselves, primarily due to inherited genes linked to obesity.
اضافة اعلان
While previous research has shown a strong connection between obesity in children and their parents, the underlying reasons have remained unclear. Children may inherit genetic risk factors from their parents, or their health may be influenced by conditions in the womb, dietary habits, and lifestyle choices within the family environment.
In this study, researchers investigated how parental genetics affect a child's weight and eating behavior. They analyzed Body Mass Index (BMI) — a common measure of obesity — along with dietary data and genetic information from over 2,500 families, each consisting of a mother, father, and child.
The study focused on obesity-related genes in the parents, including:
Genes passed down directly to the child.
Genes not inherited but still potentially influential through what’s known as genetic nurturing effects — where parental genes shape the environment the child grows up in.
Researchers found that although the BMI of both mothers and fathers was strongly associated with the child’s BMI, this was mostly due to the direct inheritance of obesity-related genes.
Interestingly:
Maternal genetic influences that were not inherited by the child had a minor effect, and only during the child’s teenage years.
The findings highlight that a mother’s BMI may be especially important in determining her child’s BMI — either through direct genetic transmission or through indirect environmental effects of her genes.
On the other hand:
Fathers’ BMI had little to no additional effect on the child’s weight, beyond the inherited genes.
The authors emphasized that studies failing to account for genetic inheritance may overestimate the parental influence on childhood obesity.
The researchers concluded:
“Our findings suggest that a mother’s weight can influence her child’s weight, and that obesity-reduction policies may have intergenerational benefits.”
In other words, targeting maternal health and weight before and during pregnancy could play a key role in breaking the cycle of obesity from one generation to the next.
