Dr. Kristi Adamo (Research Scientist) co-authored a paper that was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes titled, “Pregnancy is a Critical Period for Prevention of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk.” Two other HALO researchers were co-authors on the paper including Dr. Zach Ferraro and Kendra Brett (PhD student). Complete citation details are below.
Kristi B. Adamo, Zachary M. Ferraro, Kendra E. Brett. Pregnancy is a Critical Period for Prevention of Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk. Can J Diabetes 36 (2012) 133-141.
ABSTRACT: Obesity is a global epidemic whose development is rooted in complex and multi-factorial interactions. Excessive weight gain throughout the lifecourse is tightly linked to, and generally precedes, the emergence of impaired glycemic control. As such, a parallel increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes has emerged resulting in a dual epidemic. Once established, obesity is difficult to reverse and epidemiological, animal model and experimental studies have provided strong evidence implicating the intrauterine environment in downstream obesity. This review focuses on the gestational period, a crucial time of growth, development and physiological change in mother and child. It describes the interplay between maternal obesity, gestational weight gain and lifestyle behaviours, which may act independently or in combination, to perpetuate the intergenerational cycle of obesity and cardiometabolic risk. Pregnancy represents a window of opportunity for intervention via maternal nutrition and/or physical activity that may induce beneficial physiological alternations in the fetus that are mediated through favourable adaptations to in utero environmental stimuli. Many avenues of research are merging to identify the predisposing factors for positive energy balance, insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk throughout the lifecourse and evidence in the emerging field of epigenetics suggests that chronic, sub-clinical perturbations during pregnancy may affect fetal phenotype and long-term health.
