title: Metabolic profile in early pregnancy is associated with offspring adiposity at 4 years of age: the Rhea pregnancy cohort Crete, Greece.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity may increase the risk of childhood obesity but it is unknown whether other metabolic factors in early pregnancy such as lipid profile and hypertension are associated with offspring cardiometabolic traits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to investigate whether fasting lipid, glucose, and insulin levels during early pregnancy and maternal pre-pregnancy weight status, are associated with offspring adiposity measures, lipid levels and blood pressure at preschool age.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 618 mother-child pairs of the pregnancy cohort "Rhea" study in Crete, Greece. Pregnant women were recruited at the first prenatal visit (mean: 12 weeks, SD: 0.7). A subset of 348 women provided fasting serum samples for glucose and lipid measurements. Outcomes measures were body mass index, abdominal circumference, sum of skinfold thickness, and blood pressure measurements at 4 years of age. A subsample of 525 children provided non-fasting blood samples for lipid measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity was associated with greater risk of offspring overweight/obesity (RR: 1.83, 95%CI: 1.19, 2.81), central adiposity (RR: 1.97, 95%CI: 1.11, 3.49), and greater fat mass by 5.10 mm (95%CI: 2.49, 7.71) at 4 years of age. These associations were more pronounced in girls. An increase of 40 mg/dl in fasting serum cholesterol levels in early pregnancy was associated with greater skinfold thickness by 3.30 mm (95%CI: 1.41, 5.20) at 4 years of age after adjusting for pre-pregnancy BMI and several other confounders. An increase of 10 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure in early pregnancy was associated with increased risk of offspring overweight/obesity (RR: 1.22, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.45), and greater skinfold thickness by 1.71 mm (95% CI: 0.57, 2.86) at 4 years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metabolic dysregulation in early pregnancy may increase the risk of obesity at preschool age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; Clinic of Endocrinology, University Hospital of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daraki
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Vaggelis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Endocrinology, University Hospital of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Stathis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papavasiliou
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chalkiadaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karahaliou
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koinaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sarri
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vassilaki
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain; National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kogevinas
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Leda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chatzi
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055442:Metabolome; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002784:Cholesterol