How obesity in pregnancy leads to heart disease in the offspring

Programming offspring cardiac dysfunction by maternal diet-induced obesity - exploring the role of miRNAs

Heart and circulatory disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers. Research to find new ways to prevent it at an early stage could make a huge difference to society. Keeping healthy during pregnancy is vital to provide a healthy environment in the womb for a baby to grow. Like smoking, obesity during pregnancy has health implications for the mother, as well as an increased risk of heart disease in the child. Scientists know the effects of obesity are not genetic, but affect the environment in the womb – a concept called ‘developmental programming’. The BHF have awarded a grant to Dr Susan Ozanne at the University of Cambridge to understand exactly how maternal obesity in pregnancy can lead to babies developing heart disease in later life. They will study molecules called micro RNAs to find out if they are involved, and if so, if these molecules could be used as a ‘biomarker’ to identify or predict heart disease risk in people as they grow older by doing a blood test, before there are any clinical signs of the heart disease. This research may reveal new treatments or ways to spot children who might develop heart disease in their adult life.