title: LDL cholesterol in early pregnancy and offspring cardiovascular disease risk factors.
abstract: Vast amounts of data show associations between maternal obesity, dysglycemia, diabetes, and undernutrition during pregnancy and increased cardiovascular disease risk in offspring. However, elevated maternal LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in pregnancy and offspring cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk has scarcely been studied.
  
  
  
  Our objective was to investigate the associations between elevated maternal LDL-C in pregnancy and CVD risk factors in 6-to-13-year-old offspring.
  
  
  
  We recruited 6-to-13-year-old children whose mothers attended a pregnancy cohort and who had high or low cholesterol in pregnancy, defined as LDL-C over the 90th percentile or below the 10th percentile within the pregnancy cohort, respectively. We measured CVD risk factors in the children in the 2 groups.
  
  
  
  Maternal plasma LDL-C at gestational week 14 to 16 was 4.0 and 1.4 mmol/L in the hypercholesterolemic (n = 27) and hypocholesterolemic (n = 34) groups, respectively (P < .001). Interestingly, offspring plasma LDL-C was 0.4 mmol/L higher in children whose mothers had hypercholesterolemia during pregnancy (P < .01). We found no difference in birthweight or any other clinical or biochemical CVD risk factors or dietary intake between the children at 6-13 years.
  
  
  
  Women with elevated LDL-C during early pregnancy have offspring with higher LDL-C already at the age of 6-13 years. Unless cholesterol-reducing measures are successfully implemented, the affected children may be at increased cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; The Lipid Clinic, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jacob J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; The Lipid Clinic, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kjetil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Retterstøl
authors.affiliation: Section of Specialized Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Godang
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Obstetrics, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Marie Cecilie Paasche
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.affiliation: Section of Specialized Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Qvigstad
authors.affiliation: Section of Specialized Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bollerslev
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Research Institute for Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Thor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueland
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Obstetrics, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: k.b.holven@medisin.uio.no.
authors.forename: Kirsten B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Holven
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: Children; Hypercholesterolemia; LDL; Pregnancy; Risk factors