Avoid High-Fat Diet When You Are Expecting

 

In many Indian households a high-fat diet is considered to be nutritious for expecting mothers. A recent study has discovered that high-fat diet and obesity during pregnancy compromise the blood-forming stem cell system in the liver of the developing baby. This is responsible for creating and sustaining lifelong blood and immune system function.

Daniel L. Marks, professor of pediatric endocrinology at Oregon-based OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, said: “The results offer a model for testing whether the effects of a high-fat diet and obesity can be repaired through dietary intervention, a key question when extrapolating this data to human populations.”

A team led by Mark created a mouse model, which mimics the high-fat diet that is consumed by pregnant women. During the study, the researchers demonstrated that maternal overnutrition in mice drastically reduced the size of the foetal liver.

Marks joined hands with another stem cell expert Peter Kurre on the basis of this information. The duo then discovered the complex changes that occur as a result of maternal high-fat diet and obesity put significant constraints on the growth of blood stem cells in the foetal liver. This finally develops the immune system.

Kurre also added that “in light of the spreading western-style, high-fat diet and accompanying obesity epidemic, this study highlights the need to better understand the previous unrecognised susceptibility of the stem and progenitor cell system.”

According to the researchers, this study will pave way for broad context for rise in immune disease and allergic disposition in kids. (Image: Thinkstock)