Higher maternal protein intake is associated with lower neonatal abdominal adiposity

What is it about?

We studied the influence of macronutrient intakes during pregnancy on neonatal abdominal adiposity (measured using magnetic resonance imaging) in an Asian population. It was observed that mothers with higher protein intake (but within recommended range in nutritional guidelines) gave birth to infants with lower internal adipose tissues in the abdominal region. This association appeared stronger in boys and for protein from animal rather than plant sources. In adults, internal adipose tissues (intra-abdominal fat surrounding the internal organs) is directly associated with risks of hypertension, diabetes, and insulin resistance. Although longer term studies are required to confirm the persistence of neonatal body composition and its effects on health, we showed that optimizing maternal dietary balance during pregnancy might be a new approach to potentially improve offspring body composition.

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Why is it important?

Infant body composition has been associated with later metabolic disease risk, but few studies have examined the association between maternal macronutrient intake and neonatal body composition. Furthermore, most of those studies have used proxy measures of body composition that may not reflect body fat distribution, particularly abdominal internal adiposity. We employed the gold standard (magnetic resonance imaging) in measuring abdominal adiposity in a large number of infants, which was challenging both technically and logistically.

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