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ACNC Study Links Moms’ Health at Conception to Newborns’

Publication Date: Wednesday, January 09, 2008

A mother’s weight and diet at the time of conception and throughout pregnancy may be linked to her child’s risk of obesity later in life, according to research conducted at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) and published this month in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

The researchers, who are affiliated with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), found that a fetus’ exposure to gestational obesity may result in a cycle of weight gain and increasing body fat that is passed on from the mother. Their study, “Maternal Obesity at Conception Programs Obesity in the Offspring,” appears in the journal’s online edition at www.the-aps.org.

To test the theory that adult obesity may be influenced by programming during fetal development, the investigators developed an overfeeding model and examined rats that consumed it. When fed a control diet, the offspring of overweight and lean rats responded similarly. But when exposed to high-fat diets, the obese offspring gained significantly more weight. This, among other findings, suggests that gestational exposure to obesity led to a programming effect that increased the offsprings’ susceptibility to becoming obese as an adult.

“The mother’s body composition at conception has important implications for the metabolism and risk of obesity in the offspring in later years,” said Kartik Shankar, Ph.D., DABT, lead investigator of the study for ACNC and an instructor in the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at UAMS. “Not only do these findings help us appreciate the reasons for the rapid rise in obesity, but this novel model also will allow us to understand the underlying mechanisms and should provide fertile opportunity for translational type research.”

The study was produced by a research team that also included:

ACNC Director and Senior Investigator Thomas Badger, Ph.D., professor in the department of Physiology and Biology in the UAMS College of Medicine;
ACNC Director of Clinical Nutrition Research Janet Gilchrist, Ph.D., research assistant professor of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine;
ACNC Associate Basic Research Director Martin J.J. Ronis, Ph.D., professor in the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the UAMS College of Medicine; and
ACNC Research Assistant Amanda Harrell.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital is the only pediatric medical center in Arkansas and one of the largest in the United States serving children from birth to age 21. The campus spans 28 city blocks and houses 292 beds, a staff of approximately 500 physicians, 80 residents in pediatrics and pediatric specialties and more than 4,000 employees. The private, nonprofit healthcare facility boasts an internationally renowned reputation for medical breakthroughs and intensive treatments, unique surgical procedures and forward-thinking medical research - all dedicated to fulfilling our mission of enhancing, sustaining and restoring children's health and development. For more information, visit www.archildrens.org.

The mission of Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) is to conduct research on diet and dietary factors that: 1) optimize the nutrition and health of young children through adolescence; and 2) maximize their health as adults, especially later in life. ACNC is one of six centers in the National Human Nutrition Research Centers (HNRCs) Program funded through the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) within the USDA. Program funding for the ACNC started with a $1 million congressional appropriation in 1995. When fully funded, research will focus on five areas: brain development and function; dietary factors (non-traditional nutrients or functional foods); bone development and remodeling; childhood obesity; and enhancement of immune function.

ACHRI provides a research environment on the ACH campus to meet the needs of the UAMS faculty. Research scientists at ACHRI conduct clinical, basic science, and health services research for the purpose of treating illnesses, preventing disease and improving the health of children everywhere.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,538 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,600 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. For more information, visit www.uams.edu.

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