Obesity and inflammation in pregnancy

Abstract

Obesity is a health epidemic problem and a major contributor to the increased occurrence of coronary heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.The obesity trend is dramatically increasing in Western societies as well as in developing countries, representing a problem also for women in gestational age.Obesity in pregnancy is a direct consequence of the global obesity epidemic increase.Obesity is associated with a metabolic environment characterized by inflammation, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and vascular dysfunction.Excess of fat mass, particularly visceral and ectopic fat, is viewed as the primary driver of this inflammation.In obese pregnant women, the feto-placental unit develops under conditions of inflammation and excess of nutrients, with serious implications for morbidity and mortality both for the mother and the baby.During pregnancy, maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain have been associated with increased risk for maternal pathologies and detrimental long-term effects on fetal tissues, compromising fetal programming and its future health.