Obesity in pregnancy: can a drug for diabetes prevent high blood pressure from developing?

A pharmacological intervention to prevent the effects of maternal diet-induced obesity on cardiovascular health and insulin resistance in the offspring

We know that maintaining a healthy weight increases the chances of a healthy pregnancy. Obesity in pregnancy has become much more common in recent years and can have long-term health consequences for both mothers and babies. For babies, these include the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in later life. Currently, doctors do not fully understand how maternal obesity leads to these health problems. Dr Susan Ozanne and colleagues have been awarded a grant to find out if giving an anti-diabetes drug to obese pregnant mice can prevent the damaging effects of maternal obesity and stop the development of high blood pressure in the mother and offspring. This research will help us understand how and why obesity during pregnancy increases the chances of the baby developing heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes in the future. It may reveal a new way to prevent the damage using drugs and reveal strategies to treat obese pregnant women to improve the health of their baby in the long term.