JAKARTA – Children who have obese parents tend to be more at risk of obesity too. However, new research has found that the genes of mothers have a greater role in determining children’s weight.
Obesity is caused by a combination of heredity and environmental factors. Gens that are passed down from parents to children can affect appetite, saturation, metabolism, desire for certain foods, body fat distribution, and many other things.
The research, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, shows that although children get half the DNA of each parent, the gene from the mother affects the child’s body mass index (BMI) more.
“Gen mothers seem to play an important role in influencing children’s weight, beyond the influence of live-derived genes,” said Liam Wright, lead author of research and research at University College London, quoted from the Euro News page on Saturday, August 9.
In this research, Wright’s team analyzed genetic and health data from more than 2,600 families in England whose children were born in 2001 and 2002, then monitored them from birth to the age of 17.
Access to gene data for children and parents is key. Researchers can identify genes that are inherited directly, or genes that are not passed down but still affect the child’s health.
This indirect effect is called the genetic structure, namely the complex interaction between genes and the environment. This can form a child’s growth and development pattern, ranging from conditions in the womb to parenting at home.
Research found that BMI’s parents both influenced the child’s weight. However, the influence of the father almost entirely came from the genes that were passed down directly, while the influence of BMI mothers was wider.
This can happen because the mother’s gene affects her weight, eating habits, or activities during pregnancy, which ultimately play a role in the development and health of the child.
“In addition to the genes that are passed down directly, our findings show that the genetics of the mothers also form an environment where children develop, so that it indirectly affects the child’s BMI,” Wright explained.
“This is not a matter of blaming the mother, but how to support the family so that they can make significant differences for the long-term health of the child,” he added.
Previous research also shows that fathers who are overweight or obese during conception tend to have children with a higher risk of obesity.
According to the researchers, the efforts of obese parents to lose weight can have long-term health impacts on their children.
“The intervention targeted to reduce BMI mothers, especially during pregnancy, can reduce the impact of intergenerational obesity.” Wright said.
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