Maternal Obesity and Cardiac Development in the Offspring: Study in Human Neonates and Minipigs

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the consequences of maternal overweight on cardiac development in offspring in infants (short term) and minipigs (short and longer term). Background The epidemic of overweight involves pregnant women. The uterine environment affects organ development, modulating disease susceptibility. Offspring of obese mothers have higher rates of cardiovascular events and mortality. Methods Echocardiography was performed in infants born to lean and overweight mothers at birth and at 3, 6, and 12 months of age. In minipigs born to mothers fed a high-fat diet or a normal diet, cardiac development (echocardiography, histology), glucose metabolism and perfusion (positron emission tomography), triglyceride and glycogen content, and myocardial enzymes regulating metabolism (mass spectrometry) were determined from birth to adulthood. Results In neonates, maternal overweight, especially in the last trimester, predicted a thicker left ventricular posterior wall at birth (4.1 ± 0.3 vs. 3.3 ± 0.2 mm; p  Conclusions Neonatal changes in cardiac morphology were explained by late-trimester maternal body mass index; myocardial glucose overexposure seen in minipigs can justify early human findings. Longer term effects in minipigs consisted of myocardial insulin resistance, enzymatic alterations, and hyperdynamic systolic function.