Small Blood Vessels May Reveal Risks of Diabetes and Heart Disease
A unique study by researchers at the University of Southampton, along with colleagues at King's College London, may shed light on the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease later in life.
Most people have long suspected that a healthy diet during pregnancy can positively affect the health of the baby when it is born. Research now shows that a poor diet during the pregnancy (such as one that has too much fat) could possibly cause problems later in life.
At this time, the mechanisms which control this correlation of diet while pregnant and the long-term health of children is still not well understood.
Other studies have looked at how a mother's diet has impacted the function of the large blood vessels in their children. However, this study, led by Professor of Vascular Physiology Geraldine Clough of the University of Southampton, is definitely breaking new ground.
The study focused on adult mouse offspring, with researchers investigating the effects a high fat diet during the mother's pregnancy had on the networks of small blood vessels (called microcirculation) to establish whether these networks were susceptible to structural damage due to a poor maternal diet.
Professor Clough stated the small blood vessels, which are so tiny they are ten times smaller than a human hair, provide the vital organs such as the brain, heart and muscles with oxygen and important nutrients. Those factors were known to be altered in adults with diabetes and obesity but it was not known if maternal diet was an influence. The professor notes this particular research will help to provide further insight into how a high-fat diet during pregnancy can lead to an increase in adult risk for disease in the children.
Because microcirculation can be easily and non-invasively measured in human beings, the study may lead to better nutritional advice to mothers and women of child-bearing age, as well as to children.
The research is being funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Research Advisor Dr. Shannon Amoils at the BHF notes, "We're very pleased to announce this new research award of more than £100,000, which will help us gain a greater insight into how a child's health can be affected by their mother's diet during pregnancy."
Dr. Amoils goes on to say that medical practitioners already know a healthy diet during pregnancy can provide continued benefits into adulthood and middle age. Dr. Amoils believes this research with mice may help to explain how eating poorly during pregnancy increases the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, in the child later in life.
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