Mechanisms Linking Maternal Obesity to Offspring Metabolic Health

Abstract

A wealth of animal and human studies demonstrate that perinatal exposure to maternal obesity results in predisposition of offspring to develop metabolic diseases later in life. This process is a contributing factor to the exponential rise in obesity rates. Metabolic disease in offspring exposed to maternal obesity is associated with disruption of a number of organ systems including the heart, liver, and endocrine pancreas as well as the central nervous system (CNS). These disruptions are mediated through structural and gene regulatory changes, and although the precise molecular mechanisms underpinning these modifications remain uncharacterized, they are likely to involve alterations to offspring epigenetic marks. This chapter summarizes our current knowledge of how maternal obesity programs offspring metabolic health and explores the mechanisms that could mediate these effects.