Impact of maternal obesity on health of offspring

Obesity is a global issue, a health disorder once common in adults is now increasingly evident in children. It is quite plausible that development of obesity in childhood years could be the result of interplay between pre-pregnancy and gestational body weight, maternal nutrition, and levels of primary biochemical markers such as glucose and insulin found in the mother, and their influence on the fetus. Further, maternal obesity is associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors and neurological disorders among offspring. This review focuses on the many physiological alterations resulting from maternal obesity, causing in-utero pre-programming and inducing various maternal environmental stimuli; thus, encouraging predisposition to obesity during childhood continuing through adulthood. This review will allow an understanding of the importance of maternal nutrition, maternal pre-pregnancy, and gestational body weight that may further assist favourable physiological in-utero environment for the growing fetus.