Media Advisory
Friday, January 17, 2025
Results of an NIH study suggest that early intervention could prevent adult obesity associated with higher birth weight.
What
Fetuses of pregnant women who gained excess weight during the first trimester of pregnancy show signs of excessive fat distribution in the upper arm and abdomen, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings could inform efforts to prevent excessive weight gain early in life, a risk factor for adult obesity and related diseases, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. The study, by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the NIH and other institutions, appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The authors analyzed data from a previous study involving more than 2,600 singleton pregnancies, which included information on maternal weight before and during pregnancy and up to five three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound scans throughout pregnancy. The authors found that pregnant women who gained excessive weight (more than 2 kilograms in the first trimester) had fetuses with larger abdominal circumferences and abdominal surface areas and greater arm fat thickness than pregnant women who gained adequate weight. Fetuses in the excessive weight-gain group continued to have larger arm thickness and abdominal measurements through the end of pregnancy, even when weight gain was not considered excessive in the second and third trimesters. In contrast, most previous studies did not examine 3D fetal measurements during pregnancy and only related total weight gain during pregnancy, not just in the first trimester, to birth weight.
The authors wrote that their findings suggest that the timing of weight gain, rather than total weight gain, may be important in expanding efforts to prevent excessive fetal size and reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions later in life.
Who
Katherine Grantz, MD, MS, of the NICHD Epidemiology Branch and lead author of the study, is available for comment.
Article
Wagner KA et al. Relationship between gestational weight gain and fetal body composition and organ volumes in the NICHD 3D Fetal Study: a prospective pregnancy cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2025)
About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD conducts research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enrich the lives of children and adolescents, and maximize the capabilities of all. For more information, visit https://www.nichd.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, comprises 27 institutes and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and studies the causes, treatments, and cures for common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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