Latest news with #PLOSGenetics
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How a mother's genes can determine their child's weight for life
A mother's genes could play a role in determining a child's future weight – more so than a father's. Researchers at University College London (UCL) investigated how a parent's weight and genes influence their children's weight and diet from birth to age 17. To make the comparison, researchers used genetic and health data of 2,621 UK families in the Millennium Cohort Study, a UK birth cohort study of individuals born in 2001-2002. The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, looked at the BMI of parents and the birthweight of their children. They also looked at the child's diet at ages three, five, seven, 11, 14, and 17. Children's diets were assessed through self-reported records of how often and how much they consumed different food groups, including fruit, vegetables, fast food, and sugary drinks. Researchers then separated the direct effects of inherited genes from the indirect effects of genes that were not inherited. Study authors explained that non-inherited genes can still influence children's outcomes by influencing the development environment, such as conditions in the womb and parenting practices, as these are shaped by parents' genetics. Analysis revealed that while both parents' genetics influence a child's BMI, a mother's BMI continued to affect the child's weight beyond direct genetic inheritance. Researchers suggest this means genetic nurture, where a parent's genes shape the environment they create for their child, might be a big factor in a child's weight. This could be the case if a mother's genes influence her own weight, eating habits, or behaviours during pregnancy, which in turn can affect the child's development and long-term health. Dr Liam Wright, the study's lead author, said: 'Mothers' genetics appear to play an important role in influencing their child's weight over and above the child's genetics. 'In addition to the genes mums directly pass on, our findings suggest that maternal genetics are instrumental in shaping the environment in which the child develops, therefore indirectly influencing the child's BMI too.' Almost a third of children aged two to 15 were considered to be obese or overweight in 2024, according to NHS data. However, researchers acknowledge BMI is not the most accurate way of measuring body fat, particularly among children, and so supplemented their analysis with several other adiposity-related measures, including fat mass. Dr Wright added: 'This isn't about blaming mothers, rather, supporting families to make a meaningful difference to children's long-term health. Targeted interventions to reduce maternal BMI, particularly during pregnancy, could reduce the intergenerational impacts of obesity."
Jordan News
3 days ago
- Health
- Jordan News
A Child's Obesity Is More Closely Linked to Maternal Genes Than Paternal Ones, Study Finds - Jordan News
A new study has found that a child's risk of obesity may be more strongly influenced by maternal genes than paternal ones, due to a phenomenon known as "genetic nurturing." This emerging concept in genetics refers to the indirect effect of parental genes on a child's health and behavior, not through inherited DNA, but through the environment shaped by parental genetic traits. اضافة اعلان According to this theory, a parent's genetic makeup may influence factors such as education level or lifestyle choices, which in turn shape the environment in which the child is raised—affecting the child's physical and psychological development. This phenomenon is sometimes called "genetics through environment", as it goes beyond traditional genetic inheritance to include the imprint that parental genes leave on daily life and parenting styles. The Study and Its Findings The study, conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL) and published in the journal PLOS Genetics, analyzed health and genetic data from 2,621 British families who are part of the Millennium Cohort Study, which tracks individuals born in the early 2000s. Researchers examined the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of parents and their children's weight and eating habits across six age stages, from age 3 to 17. They also used self-reported dietary data from the children to assess how both maternal and paternal genetics influenced their physical health. The study found that the father's genetic influence on the child's weight was almost entirely direct, through inherited DNA. In contrast, maternal genetics showed both direct and indirect effects. Even when the researchers controlled for inherited genes, the maternal environment still played a significant role in determining a child's likelihood of being overweight. A Key Role for Mothers' Environments Lead author Liam Wright, a researcher at UCL's Institute of Social Research, emphasized that the findings highlight the critical role of maternal environments, which are shaped by maternal genetics. 'This is not about blaming mothers,' Wright stated. 'It's about recognizing the importance of supporting families to create healthy environments that contribute to better long-term outcomes for children.' The study also went beyond traditional BMI measurements, particularly in children, by including detailed fat mass assessments, offering a more comprehensive picture of childhood obesity. Implications for Public Health Policy The researchers recommend that public health interventions focus on supporting mothers, especially during pregnancy, to help interrupt the intergenerational cycle of obesity. This represents a shift in understanding obesity as a multi-factorial issue, involving genetic, environmental, and behavioral components, and calls for more inclusive, family-oriented support systems—particularly for mothers. On a global level, childhood obesity remains a major concern. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, 35 million children under age 5 were overweight in 2024. In 2022, more than 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 were classified as overweight, including 160 million with obesity. The WHO uses a growth reference standard to diagnose obesity or undernutrition in children, which includes measures like height-for-age, weight-for-age, and BMI-for-age. Studies like this one provide valuable evidence for preventive health strategies worldwide.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How a mother's genes can determine their child's weight for life
A mother's genes could play a role in determining a child's future weight – more so than a father's. Researchers at University College London (UCL) investigated how a parent's weight and genes influence their children's weight and diet from birth to age 17. To make the comparison, researchers used genetic and health data of 2,621 UK families in the Millennium Cohort Study, a UK birth cohort study of individuals born in 2001-2002. The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, looked at the BMI of parents and the birthweight of their children. They also looked at the child's diet at ages three, five, seven, 11, 14, and 17. Children's diets were assessed through self-reported records of how often and how much they consumed different food groups, including fruit, vegetables, fast food, and sugary drinks. Researchers then separated the direct effects of inherited genes from the indirect effects of genes that were not inherited. Study authors explained that non-inherited genes can still influence children's outcomes by influencing the development environment, such as conditions in the womb and parenting practices, as these are shaped by parents' genetics. Analysis revealed that while both parents' genetics influence a child's BMI, a mother's BMI continued to affect the child's weight beyond direct genetic inheritance. Researchers suggest this means genetic nurture, where a parent's genes shape the environment they create for their child, might be a big factor in a child's weight. This could be the case if a mother's genes influence her own weight, eating habits, or behaviours during pregnancy, which in turn can affect the child's development and long-term health. Dr Liam Wright, the study's lead author, said: 'Mothers' genetics appear to play an important role in influencing their child's weight over and above the child's genetics. 'In addition to the genes mums directly pass on, our findings suggest that maternal genetics are instrumental in shaping the environment in which the child develops, therefore indirectly influencing the child's BMI too.' Almost a third of children aged two to 15 were considered to be obese or overweight in 2024, according to NHS data. However, researchers acknowledge BMI is not the most accurate way of measuring body fat, particularly among children, and so supplemented their analysis with several other adiposity-related measures, including fat mass. Dr Wright added: 'This isn't about blaming mothers, rather, supporting families to make a meaningful difference to children's long-term health. Targeted interventions to reduce maternal BMI, particularly during pregnancy, could reduce the intergenerational impacts of obesity."
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
How a mother's genes can determine their child's weight for life
A mother's genes could play a role in determining a child's future weight – more so than a father's. Researchers at University College London (UCL) investigated how a parent's weight and genes influence their children's weight and diet from birth to age 17. To make the comparison, researchers used genetic and health data of 2,621 UK families in the Millennium Cohort Study, a UK birth cohort study of individuals born in 2001-2002. The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, looked at the BMI of parents and the birthweight of their children. They also looked at the child's diet at ages three, five, seven, 11, 14, and 17. Children's diets were assessed through self-reported records of how often and how much they consumed different food groups, including fruit, vegetables, fast food, and sugary drinks. Researchers then separated the direct effects of inherited genes from the indirect effects of genes that were not inherited. Study authors explained that non-inherited genes can still influence children's outcomes by influencing the development environment, such as conditions in the womb and parenting practices, as these are shaped by parents' genetics. Analysis revealed that while both parents' genetics influence a child's BMI, a mother's BMI continued to affect the child's weight beyond direct genetic inheritance. Researchers suggest this means genetic nurture, where a parent's genes shape the environment they create for their child, might be a big factor in a child's weight. This could be the case if a mother's genes influence her own weight, eating habits, or behaviours during pregnancy, which in turn can affect the child's development and long-term health. Dr Liam Wright, the study's lead author, said: ' Mothers ' genetics appear to play an important role in influencing their child's weight over and above the child's genetics. 'In addition to the genes mums directly pass on, our findings suggest that maternal genetics are instrumental in shaping the environment in which the child develops, therefore indirectly influencing the child's BMI too.' Almost a third of children aged two to 15 were considered to be obese or overweight in 2024, according to NHS data. However, researchers acknowledge BMI is not the most accurate way of measuring body fat, particularly among children, and so supplemented their analysis with several other adiposity-related measures, including fat mass. Dr Wright added: 'This isn't about blaming mothers, rather, supporting families to make a meaningful difference to children's long-term health. Targeted interventions to reduce maternal BMI, particularly during pregnancy, could reduce the intergenerational impacts of obesity."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Obesity can be passed from parents to children. But do mothers' or fathers' genes matter more?
Children with obese parents are more likely to be obese themselves – but their mothers' genes appear to be particularly important in determining their weight, a new study has found. Obesity is thought to be caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. Genes passed from parents to children affect people's appetite, sense of fullness, metabolism, food cravings, body fat distribution, and more. The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, indicates that while children get half of their DNA from each parent, it's the mother's genetics that matter more when it comes to body mass index (BMI). 'Mothers' genetics appear to play an important role in influencing her child's weight over and above the child's genetics,' Liam Wright, the study's lead author and a researcher at University College London, said in a statement. Related Global obesity rates are surging as people gain weight younger and faster than in the past Wright's team analysed genetic and health data from more than 2,600 UK families with children born in 2001 and 2002, tracking them from birth to age 17. Having access to both the childrens' and parents' genes was key. It enabled researchers to identify both the genes that kids had inherited as well as the genes that parents did not pass down – but that might still influence their children's health. Those indirect effects, called 'genetic nurture,' matter because they help shape how children grow up, from conditions in the womb to parenting practices, the study authors said. Both parents' BMI matter when it comes to a child's weight, the study found. But while the fathers' influence was almost entirely related to genes he had directly passed down, the impact of the mother's BMI went further. That could be because a mother's genes influence her own weight, eating habits, or activities during pregnancy, in turn playing a role in her child's development and health, the researchers said. Related 'Very obvious:' Novo Nordisk may be illegally advertising Ozempic, says Spain's health secretary 'In addition to the genes mums directly pass on, our findings suggest that maternal genetics are instrumental in shaping the environment in which the child develops, therefore indirectly influencing the child's BMI too,' Wright said. 'This isn't about blaming mothers, rather, supporting families to make a meaningful difference to children's long-term health,' he added. Other research has shown that fathers who were overweight or obese at the time of conception are more likely to have children with obesity. Efforts to help obese parents lose weight could have long-lasting health effects for their children, according to the study authors. 'Targeted interventions to reduce maternal BMI, particularly during pregnancy, could reduce the intergenerational impacts of obesity,' Wright said.
