Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition

Obesity is programmed in utero and small babies generally have small placentas. In some circumstances, an undernourished fetus can expand its placental surface to extract more nutrients. We hypothesize that this results in an imbalanced nutrient supply to the fetus leading to obesity. To determine...

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Main Authors: Johan G. Eriksson, Jill Gelow, Kent L. Thornburg, Clive Osmond, Markku Laakso, Matti Uusitupa, Virpi Lindi, Eero Kajantie, David J. P. Barker
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2012-01-01
Series:International Journal of Pediatrics
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/324185
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author Johan G. Eriksson
Jill Gelow
Kent L. Thornburg
Clive Osmond
Markku Laakso
Matti Uusitupa
Virpi Lindi
Eero Kajantie
David J. P. Barker
author_facet Johan G. Eriksson
Jill Gelow
Kent L. Thornburg
Clive Osmond
Markku Laakso
Matti Uusitupa
Virpi Lindi
Eero Kajantie
David J. P. Barker
author_sort Johan G. Eriksson
collection DOAJ
description Obesity is programmed in utero and small babies generally have small placentas. In some circumstances, an undernourished fetus can expand its placental surface to extract more nutrients. We hypothesize that this results in an imbalanced nutrient supply to the fetus leading to obesity. To determine whether placental size determines overweight and body composition, we studied 2003 subjects in adult life. Associations between placental surface area and indices of overweight were restricted to people who carried the Pro12Pro genotype of the PPARγ2 gene. For every 1 SD increase in placental surface area, the odds ratio for overweight was 1.37 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.71; P=0.005). Expansion of the placental surface in compensation for fetal undernutrition increases the risk of overweight and a higher body fat percentage in people carrying the Pro12Pro genotype. We suggest that similar underlying multifactorial mechanisms affect the development of obesity in general.
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issn 1687-9740
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language English
publishDate 2012-01-01
publisher Wiley
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series International Journal of Pediatrics
spelling doaj-art-878f32b7d7ed417dbf71ff90b2faae912025-08-20T02:09:04ZengWileyInternational Journal of Pediatrics1687-97401687-97592012-01-01201210.1155/2012/324185324185Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body CompositionJohan G. Eriksson0Jill Gelow1Kent L. Thornburg2Clive Osmond3Markku Laakso4Matti Uusitupa5Virpi Lindi6Eero Kajantie7David J. P. Barker8Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, PL 20, 00014 Helsinki, FinlandHeart Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201-3098, USAHeart Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201-3098, USAMRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, Southampton General Hospital, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UKDepartment of Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, FinlandDepartment of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, PL 30, 00271 Helsinki, FinlandHeart Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97201-3098, USAObesity is programmed in utero and small babies generally have small placentas. In some circumstances, an undernourished fetus can expand its placental surface to extract more nutrients. We hypothesize that this results in an imbalanced nutrient supply to the fetus leading to obesity. To determine whether placental size determines overweight and body composition, we studied 2003 subjects in adult life. Associations between placental surface area and indices of overweight were restricted to people who carried the Pro12Pro genotype of the PPARγ2 gene. For every 1 SD increase in placental surface area, the odds ratio for overweight was 1.37 (95% CI 1.10 to 1.71; P=0.005). Expansion of the placental surface in compensation for fetal undernutrition increases the risk of overweight and a higher body fat percentage in people carrying the Pro12Pro genotype. We suggest that similar underlying multifactorial mechanisms affect the development of obesity in general.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/324185
spellingShingle Johan G. Eriksson
Jill Gelow
Kent L. Thornburg
Clive Osmond
Markku Laakso
Matti Uusitupa
Virpi Lindi
Eero Kajantie
David J. P. Barker
Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
International Journal of Pediatrics
title Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
title_full Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
title_fullStr Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
title_full_unstemmed Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
title_short Long-Term Effects of Placental Growth on Overweight and Body Composition
title_sort long term effects of placental growth on overweight and body composition
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/324185
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