Researchers uncover hidden risk of infant mortality linked to grandmothers' obesity
New research from Eduardo Villamor
Professor of Epidemiology
In a study using Swedish nationwide registers, researchers have found a significant link between grandmother’s obesity and increased risk of infant mortality in their grandchildren.
The work, published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, involved an examination of 315,461 single baby live births and showed that maternal grandmothers with early pregnancy body mass indices (BMIs) in the overweight or obese range (BMI ≥25.0) had a 60% higher risk of having grandchildren die during the first year of life compared to grandmothers with normal BMI.
Eduardo Villamor, professor of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, worked with Sven Cnattingius of the Karolinska Institutet to conduct the research.
“Our findings indicate that the adverse health consequences of obesity can transcend generations,” said Villamor. “We were able to show that grandmaternal obesity could be a risk factor for infant death after two generations and that this relation is not due to factors shared within families like genetics."
This suggests that tackling obesity in women of childbearing age could be crucial not only for their own health but also for the health of future generations.
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Moreover, the study also explored the influence of paternal grandmothers and found a significant association between early pregnancy obesity (BMI ≥30.0) and increased infant mortality risk in grandchildren. However, the researchers noted that the link between paternal grandmother’s obesity and infant mortality may need further examination to confirm if it is not influenced by shared familial factors.
“We don’t know yet what mechanisms could explain these findings, but they may be related to intergenerational transmission of information that is independent of inherited DNA sequences, for example through epigenetics,” Villamor added, and highlighted that regardless of the mechanisms, epidemiologic studies could illustrate the complex, intergenerational impacts of obesity and underscore the importance of addressing this public health issue comprehensively.
Study: “Grandmaternal body mass index in early pregnancy and risk of infant mortality in grandoffspring: A population-based multigeneration cohort study,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.07.003
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