Children whose parents are obese are more likely to be their turn, but their mother’s genes seem to play a particularly important role In determining their weight, according to a new study.
Obesity is believed to be due to a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. The genes transmitted from parents to children influence appetite, feeling of satiety, metabolism, cravings, distribution of body fat, etc.
The study, published in the journal Plos Genetics, indicates that if children receive half of their DNA from each of their parents, it is The genetics of the mother who counts most with regard to the body mass index (BMI).
“The mother’s genetics seem to play an important role in the influence of the child’s weight, beyond the genetics of the child,” said Liam Wright, principal author of the study and researcher at the University College London.
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The Wright team analyzed the genetic and health data of more than 2,600 British families with children born in 2001 and 2002, and followed them from birth at the age of 17.
Access to child and parents’ genes was essential. This allowed researchers to identify both the genes whose children inherited and the genes that the parents did not transmit, but which could still influence the health of their children.
According to the authors of the study, these indirect effects, qualified as “genetic culture”, are important because they contribute to shape the way in which children grow, from the living conditions in the uterus to parental practices.
The study reveals that the BMI of both parents has an impact on the child’s weight. But while the influence of the father was almost entirely linked to the genes he had transmitted directly, the impact of the Mother’s BMI went further.
This could be explained by the fact that the mother’s genes influence her own weight, her eating habits or her activities during pregnancy, which plays a role in the development and health of the child, explain the researchers.
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“In addition to the genes that mothers transmit directly, our results suggest that maternal genetics contribute to shaping the environment in which the child is developing, thus indirectly influencing the BRI of the child,” said Wright.
“It is not a question of blaming mothers, but rather of supporting families so that they make a significant difference in the long-term health of children,” he added.
Other research has shown that fathers who were overweight or obese at the time of design are more likely to have children suffering from obesity.
According to study authors, efforts to help obese parents lose weight could have lasting health effects of their children.
“Targeted interventions aimed at reducing the maternal BMI, especially during pregnancy, could reduce the intergenerational effects of obesity,” said Wright.