Associations of maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy with abdominal and liver fat deposition in childhood

Background: Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. Studies in adults suggest that caffeine intake might also directly affect visceral and liver fat deposition, which are strong risk factors for cardio-metabolic disease. Objective: To assess the associations of maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy with childhood general, abdominal, and liver fat mass at 10 years of age. Methods: In a population-based cohort from early pregnancy onwards among 4770 mothers and children, we assessed maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and childhood fat mass at age 10 years. Results: Compared with children whose mothers consumed <2 units of caffeine per day during pregnancy, those whose mothers consumed 4-5.9 and ≥6 units of caffeine per day had a higher body mass index, total body fat mass index, android/gynoid fat mass ratio, and abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat mass indices. Children whose mothers consumed 4-5.9 units of caffeine per day had a higher liver fat fraction. The associations with abdominal visceral fat and liver fat persisted after taking childhood total body fat mass into account. Conclusions: High maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy was associated with higher childhood body mass index, total body fat, abdominal visceral fat, and liver fat. The associations with childhood abdominal visceral fat and liver fat fraction were independent of childhood total body fat. This suggests differential fat accumulation in these depots, which may increase susceptibility to cardio-metabolic disease in later life

A population-based resource for intergenerational metabolomics analyses in pregnant women and their children: the Generation R Study

INTRODUCTION: Adverse exposures in early life may predispose children to cardio-metabolic disease in later life. Metabolomics may serve as a valuable tool to disentangle the metabolic adaptations and mechanisms that potentially underlie these associations. OBJECTIVES: T

Maternal Glucose Concentrations in Early Pregnancy and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Childhood

Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations of maternal early-pregnancy glucose and insulin concentrations with offspring cardiometabolic risk factors and fat distribution. Methods: In a population-based prospective cohort study among 3,737 mothers and their children, random maternal glucose and insulin concentrations were measured at a median gestational age of 13.2 (95% range 10.5-17.1) weeks. Childhood fat, blood pressure, and blood concentrations of lipids, glucose, and insulin at the age of 10 years were measured. Results: Higher maternal early-pregnancy glucose and insulin concentrations were associated with a higher risk of childhood overweight, and higher maternal early-pregnancy insulin concentrations were associated with an increased childhood risk of clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors (all P < 0.05). These associations were explained by maternal prepregnancy BMI. Independent of maternal prepregnancy BMI, one SD score (SDS) higher maternal early-pregnancy glucose and insulin concentrations were associated with higher childhood glucose (0.08 SDS, 95% CI: 0.04-0.11) and insulin concentrations (0.07 SDS, 95% CI: 0.03-0.10), but not with childhood blood pressure, lipids, and fat measures. Conclusions: These results suggest that maternal early-pregnancy random glucose and insulin concentrations are associated with childhood glucose a

Second and third trimester fetal ultrasound population screening for risks of preterm birth and small-size and large-size for gestational age at birth: a population-based prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth, small size for gestational age (SGA) and large size for gestational age (LGA) at birth are major risk factors for neonatal and long-term morbidity and mortality. It is unclear which periods of pregnancy are optimal for ultrasound screening to identify fetuses at risk of preterm birth, SGA or LGA at birth. We aimed to examine whether single or combined second and third trimes

Critical periods and growth patterns from fetal life onwards associated with childhood insulin levels

Aims/hypothesis: We aimed to identify critical periods and specific longitudinal growth patterns from fetal life onwards associated with childhood insulin and C-peptide levels. Methods: In a prospective population-based cohort study of 4328 children, we repeatedly measured (femur) length and (estimated fetal) weight from the second trimester of fetal life until 6 years of age. BMI was calculated from 6 months onwards. Insulin and C-peptide levels were measured at 6 years of age. Results: Preterm birth and small or large size for gestational age at birth were not associated with childhood insulin levels. Conditional growth modelling showed that, independent of growth in other time intervals, weight growth in each time interval from birth onwards, length growth from 6 months onwards and BMI growth from 12 months onwards were positively associated with childhood insulin levels. The strongest associations were present for weight and BMI growth between 48 and 72 months of age. Repeated measurement analyses showed that, compared with children in the lowest quartile of childhood insulin, those in the highest quartile had a higher length from birth onwards and a higher weight and BMI from 24 months onwards. These differences increased with age. No associations were observed for fetal growth characteristics. Similar results were observed for C-peptide levels. Conclusions/interpretation: Our results suggest that rapid length, weight and BMI growth from birth onwards, but not during fetal life, is associated with higher insulin levels in childhood

High maternal early-pregnancy blood glucose levels are associated with altered fetal growth and increased risk of adverse birth outcomes

Aims/hypothesis: The study aimed to assess the associations of maternal early-pregnancy blood glucose levels with fetal growth throughout pregnancy and the risks of adverse birth outcomes. Methods: In a population-based prospective cohort study among 6116 pregnant women, maternal non-fasting glucose levels were measured in blood plasma at a median 13.2 weeks of gestation (95% range 9.6–17.6). We measured fetal growth by ultrasound in each pregnancy period. We obtained information about birth outcomes from medical records and maternal sociodemographic and lifestyle factors from questionnaires. Results: Higher maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels were associated with altered fetal growth patterns, characterised by decreased fetal growth rates in mid-pregnancy and increased fetal growth rates from late pregnancy onwards, resulting in an increased length and weight at birth (p ≤0.05 for all). A weaker association of maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels with fetal head circumference growth rates was present. Higher maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels were also associated with an increased risk of delivering a large-for-gestational-age infant, but decreased risk of delivering a small-for-gestational-age infant (OR 1.28 [95% CI 1.16, 1.41], OR 0.88 [95% CI 0.79, 0.98] per mmol/l increase in maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels, respectively). These associations were not explained by maternal sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors or BMI. Maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels were not associated with preterm birth or delivery complications. Conclusions/interpretation: Higher maternal early-pregnancy non-fasting glucose levels are associated with decreased fetal growth rates in mid-pregnancy and increased fetal growth rates from late pregnancy onwards, and an increased risk of delivering a large-for-gestational-age infant. Future preventive strategies need to focus on screening for an impaired maternal glucose metabolism from preconception and early pregnancy onwards to improve birth outcomes

The LifeCycle Project-EU Child Cohort Network : a federated analysis infrastructure and harmonized data of more than 250,000 children and parents

Early life is an important window of opportunity to improve health across the full lifecycle. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that exposure to adverse stressors during early life leads to developmental adaptations, which subsequently affect disease risk in later life. Also, geographical, socio-economic, and ethnic differences are related to health inequalities from early life onwards. To address these important public health challenges, many European pregnancy and childhood cohorts have been established over the last 30 years. The enormous wealth of data of these cohorts has led to important new biological insights and important impact for health from early life onwards. The impact of these cohorts and their data could be further increased by combining data from different cohorts. Combining data will lead to the possibility of identifying smaller effect estimates, and the opportunity to better identify risk groups and risk factors leading to disease across the lifecycle across countries. Also, it enables research on better causal understanding and modelling of life course health trajectories. The EU Child Cohort Network, established by the Horizon2020-funded LifeCycle Project, brings together nineteen pregnancy and childhood cohorts, together including more than 250,000 children and their parents. A large set of variables has been harmonised and standardized across these cohorts. The harmonized data are kept within each institution and can be accessed by external researchers through a shared federated data analysis platform using the R-based platform DataSHIELD, which takes relevant national and international data regulations into account. The EU Child Cohort Network has an open character. All protocols for data harmonization and setting up the data analysis platform are available online. The EU Child Cohort Network creates great opportunities for researchers to use data from different cohorts, during and beyond the LifeCycle Project duration. It also provides a novel model for collaborative research in large research infrastructures with individual-level data. The LifeCycle Project will translate results from research using the EU Child Cohort Network into recommendations for targeted prevention strategies to improve health trajectories for current and future generations by optimizing their earliest phases of life.Peer reviewe

Maternal First-Trimester Cow-Milk Intake Is Positively Associated with Childhood General and Abdominal Visceral Fat Mass and Lean Mass but Not with Other Cardiometabolic Risk Factors at the Age of 10 Years

Background: Higher maternal cow-milk intake during pregnancy is associated with higher fetal growth measures and higher birth weight. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the associations of maternal milk intake during pregnancy with body fat measures and cardiometabolic risk factors at the age of 10 y. Methods: In a population-based cohort of Dutch mothers and their children (n = 2466) followed from early pregnancy onwards, we assessed maternal first-trimester milk intake (milk and milk drinks) by food-frequency questionnaire. Maternal milk intake was categorized into 0-0.9, 1-1.9, 2-2.9, 3-3.9, 4-4.9, and ≥5 g