Collaborative ECHO research led by Britt Snyder, PhD, and Tina Hartert, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and James Gern, MD, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, investigates the links between maternal health characteristics and the concentrations of various metabolites in newborns. In addition to identifying these links, the study also demonstrated that some metabolites were linked to childhood body mass index (BMI) at ages 1–3 years. The researchers collected data from 3,492 infants and their mothers and found that certain maternal health factors such as higher BMI before pregnancy or maternal age at delivery seemed to increase the levels of some key metabolites in newborns. This research, titled “The Associations of Maternal Health Characteristics, Newborn Metabolite Concentrations, and Child Body Mass Index among US Children in the ECHO Program,” is published in Metabolites.
This study expanded on previous research investigating links between a variety of maternal characteristics and metabolite levels in newborns and also explored the link between these metabolites and child growth patterns. The researchers also investigated how maternal factors and related chemical changes in utero could possibly contribute to the link between newborn metabolism and childhood BMI. To address these questions, the researchers collected data on maternal health characteristics from self-reported questionnaires, birth certificates, and medical records. They then collected child BMI from medical records and study visits and used statistical tools to evaluate possible links between maternal health characteristics and newborn metabolism.
“These findings provide additional insights on potential in utero pathways through which maternal health characteristics may affect newborn metabolism and later child growth patterns,” said Dr. Snyder.
Future studies are needed to further explore these pathways and understand the relationship between maternal health characteristics and child health.