Transgenerational effects of maternal obesity and gestational diabetes on offspring body composition and left ventricle mass: the Finnish Gestational Diabetes Prevention Study (RADIEL) 6-year follow-up

Aim To investigate the influence of maternal adiposity and gestational diabetes on offspring body composition and left ventricle mass in early childhood. Methods The observational follow-up study included 201 mother-child pairs, a sub-cohort from the Finnish Gestational Diabetes Prevention Study, who were recruited 6.1 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SD) years postpartum, aiming for an equal number of mothers with and without gestational diabetes. Results Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI (mean +/- SD; 30.5 +/- 5.6 kg/m(2)) was associated with child body fat percentage [0.26 (95% CI; 0.08, 0.44)% increase in child body fat per 1 kg/m(2) increase in pre-pregnancy BMI of mothers with obesity] and was reflected in child BMI Z-score (mean +/- SD; 0.45 +/- 0.93). Left ventricle mass, left ventricle mass index and left ventricle mass Z-score were not associated with gestational diabetes, pre-pregnancy BMI or child body fat percentage. After adjusting for child sex, body fat percentage, systolic blood pressure, pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal lean body mass, left ventricle mass increased by 3.08 (95% CI; 2.25, 3.91) g for each 1 kg in child lean body mass. Conclusions Left ventricle mass at 6 years of age is determined predominantly by lean body mass. Maternal pre-gestational adiposity is reflected in child, but no direct association between left ventricle mass and child adiposity or evidence of left ventricle mass foetal programming related to gestational diabetes and maternal adiposity was observed in early childhood.