BMI of the firstborn offspring at age 12 reflects maternal LDL and HDL cholesterol levels at term pregnancy and postpartum

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of the firstborn offspring at age 12 and maternal lipid levels at term and at 6 months postpartum.

Design and Methods: The study included children born in the 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical University of Warsaw between 1 November 1991 and 31 May 1993. The end point was BMI in the upper quartile – considered high BMI of the firstborn offspring at age 12.

Results: The risk of high BMI in the offspring at age 12 significantly increased with an increase in the LDL-C level at term (OR = 2.41 per SD increase, 95% CI: 1.01–5.80; p < 0.049), a decrease in the HDL-C% at term (OR = 0.35 per SD increase, 95% CI: 0.14–0.84; p < 0.019) and a decrease in the HDL-C level at 6 months postpartum (OR = 0.25 per SD increase, 95% CI: 0.08–0.82; p < 0.022), regardless of maternal weight status before pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum, gestational weight gain, the offspring’s gender and birth weight.

Conclusion: LDL and HDL cholesterol levels at term are markers of maternal adaptation to a first pregnancy and predict the future growth of firstborn offspring.

• Adolescent offspring BMI
• maternal lipid metabolism
• pregnancy

Acknowledgements

ER-W conceived the experiment and prepared the study design. JZ-S organized the data collection. ER-W and ZL analyzed and interpreted the data, prepared the tables. ER-W, JZ-S and ZL searched the literature. KC supervised the whole study and reviewed and approved the data interpretation. All authors were involved in writing the paper and approved the submitted version. We thank the Department of Laboratory Diagnostics of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Center, Warsaw, Poland, for the assessment of lipid, apolipoprotein and lipoprotein (a) levels. We are grateful to the mothers who participated along with their children.