Protein in pregnancy produces leaner babies

The fight against childhood obesity could begin in the womb, with research finding that mothers who eat a diet that is relatively rich in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat during pregnancy have babies with less abdominal fat.

The research is part of a large-scale ongoing study of mothers and infants called Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO), a collaboration between Singapore’s National University Health System (NUHS), KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the A*STAR Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences.

The dietary choices of 320 pregnant women were recorded around the 27th week of pregnancy; this was followed by MRI scans to detect the abdominal fat levels of their babies two weeks after birth. The women consuming the most protein were still within the normal range recommended by dietary guidelines. The effect on their babies’ abdominal fat levels was particularly noticeable in boys and was only linked to high consumption of animal protein, not plant protein.

“Childhood obesity and metabolic diseases have reached epidemic levels globally,” said Ling-Wei Chen, joint first author of the research paper together with Mya-Thway Tint, both at Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He adds that Asians are at higher risk of metabolic diseases than Caucasians of similar BMI levels, so the study’s focus on mothers of Asian origin makes it especially relevant for the region.

One strength of the GUSTO study is that it can tease out differences related to different cultural backgrounds. The beneficial influence of high-protein diets, for example, was stronger in Chinese and Indians than in Malays. “This may be due to inherent differences in body composition, or dietary pattern, among these groups,” said Yung Seng Lee, from the A*STAR group.

The researchers are continuing to monitor the children throughout their early years to detect longer-term effects. New MRI scans have been performed in the children’s fifth year, with more planned between the ages of 12 and 14. “Our early results may provide invaluable information for offering better nutritional guidance to pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy, but we need to continue to track the growth of these children to confirm this,” said Lee.