Scientists from the University of Colorado have found that poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of fatty liver in a child at an early age. Research published Nutrition Journal.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children is a growing concern as it is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hepatitis, obesity and other metabolic disorders.
Animal model studies have shown that diets high in fat and sucrose are associated with NAFLD in offspring. These results have now been confirmed in human studies.
The scientists analyzed data from 1,131 mother-infant pairs that contain complete information about maternal nutrition during pregnancy. A subset of children were evaluated for liver fat using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in early childhood.
The analysis showed that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet reduced liver fat accumulation in an early childhood child. In addition to increased sugar intake, insufficient amount of legumes and green vegetables in the mother’s diet increased the risk of fatty liver in the child.
These effects were observed even when testing was adjusted for the woman’s body mass index (BMI) and activity during pregnancy.
However, the study refuted the findings of the previous study, which showed that maternal triglyceride levels were associated with fat accumulation in the offspring’s liver.