Pregnant women with a high body mass index are at high risk of various complications during pregnancy and childbirth. A study that covered 60 years has shown that obesity in expectant mothers can have long-term negative consequences for their children.
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In a scientific paper, specialists from the Institute of Public Health in Auckland noted that in recent years in developed countries, the incidence of bowel cancer among the elderly has decreased, but among young patients the rates have doubled. Scientists suggested that this could be influenced not only by heredity or dietary habits, but also by some factors of intrauterine development, such as obesity in the mother.
To determine this connection, the researchers used data from the Child Health and Development Study (CHDS), which included more than 18,700 pairs of mothers and children born between 1959 and 1966. Questionnaires and medical records contained information about the participants' health, including before pregnancy, the presence of chronic diseases, and prescribed medications.
Then the authors of the new study collected data on all cases of cancer in the offspring from birth to 2019 using the California Cancer Registry.
Over a 60-year period, malignant neoplasms of the intestine were diagnosed in 68 people aged 18 to 56 years, with about half of them (48.5%) falling ill before the age of 50. Almost every fifth patient in this sample had an unfavorable family history.
The scientists compared the obtained data with information on the body weight of mothers during pregnancy and their offspring at birth. It turned out that the risk of developing this type of cancer in adulthood was almost twice as high in children of obese women compared to children of mothers with normal or low weight.
The risk was even higher in those whose mothers rapidly gained weight during pregnancy — a fourfold increase. The likelihood of developing bowel cancer was also increased in children who were overweight at birth — more than 4,000 grams.
The study is observational and did not examine cause and effect, and it did not take into account important factors such as diet, the participants' gut microbiome, and their body mass index in adulthood. However, the scientists noted that prenatal development may also play an important role. For example, nutrients entering the womb can permanently alter the structure and function of fat tissue, appetite regulation, and metabolism.
“Our results provide compelling evidence that fetal development is an important risk factor for colorectal cancer and may contribute to the increased incidence in young adults,” the study authors reported.