Weight loss is a constant topic for women and we are always seeking to be thinner! It is true that obesity can bring many adverse effects to women, and here we will learn about such effects and their severity.
1.Obesity makes the chance of conception decrease
Energy metabolism and female fertility are closely related and regulate each other. Although lipids are vital to the synthesis of estrogen and progesterone in granulosa cells, human and rodent studies have shown that hyperlipidemia has harmful effects on reproduction.
Specifically, overweight and obese women exhibit metabolic dysfunction as evidenced by hypercholesterolemia and increased concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. This, in turn, creates a chronic state of low-grade metabolic inflammation that affects menstrual menarche and leads to endocrine dysfunction such as polycystic ovary syndrome.
Human and rodent studies have also shown that overnutrition may lead to high triglyceride levels in follicular fluid, which in turn causes oxidative stress, induced oocyte toxicity, granulosa cell dysfunction and granulosa cell apoptosis, leading to reduced fertility and infertility. In fact, for infertile women with a BMI greater than 29 kg/m2, the chance of conception decreases by 5% for each unit increase in BMI. Furthermore, in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization, obesity can have a detrimental effect on oocyte quality and uterine tolerability. Finally, obesity may affect ovarian reserve function and may cause luteinizing hormone (LH) surges and luteal dysfunction. Therefore, overweight and obese women should be encouraged to lose weight to optimize fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
2, obesity on the fetus and the impact of the newborn
The impact on the fetal weight
Obese women have an increased risk of fetal overweight. And the mother’s nutrition, physical activity, stress level, sleep quality may lead to lead to pregnancy weight gain, gestational diabetes and gestational hypertensive disease. It is important to make obese women aware of this and they should be encouraged to manage their weight gain during pregnancy and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Huge babies and babies older than gestational age
A macrosomic baby is a baby born with a birth weight greater than 4,000g, and a larger-than-gestational-age baby is a baby born above the 90th percentile of the average weight for the same gestational age. Obese women are two to three times more likely to have a giant baby than the general population. It is thought that this may be related to the upregulation of placental transport proteins that transport sugars, fatty acids and amino acids in obese women. However, normal weight women also develop macrosomia, which may be associated with maternal hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL levels, etc.
Intrauterine growth restriction and infants younger than gestational age
Maternal obesity is a risk factor for intrauterine growth restriction and small for gestational age. Small for gestational age infants are directly related to the development of maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preterm delivery due to heart disease. It has also been suggested that small-for-gestational-age infants may reflect abnormal placental development and poor placental perfusion, which would result in impaired fetal nutritional transport.
Maternal obesity and fetal congenital anomalies
Obese pregnant women have a 50%, 30-40% and 30% increased risk of fetal neural tube abnormalities, heart and limb defects, respectively, compared to normal weight pregnant women. There is also an increased risk of other anomalies such as cleft lip and palate and anorectal atresia. This may be associated with folate metabolism, high glucose environment, and insulin resistance. The obese state suggests that the female body is in a state of chronic oxidative stress and increased inflammatory response, both of which may lead to abnormal gene expression.
3, obesity on the long-term impact of future generations
Abnormal sugar metabolism
Obese women’s fetus in utero may appear insulin resistance, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in the future children in adolescence and adulthood. Some animal models provide some clues for this.
Cardiovascular disease
Multiple epidemiological findings suggest a direct relationship between preconception obesity and obesity in their offspring during childhood and adolescence, which in turn leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Observational studies have found that offspring from obese pregnant women have higher blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and inflammatory markers in childhood, while in adulthood they have higher BMI, larger waist circumference, higher blood pressure, triglyceride levels and lower HDL levels.
Neuropsychiatric effects
Maternal obesity during pregnancy may be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in offspring. One study found that offspring of women who were obese during pregnancy had decreased cognitive development scores during infancy. In contrast, paternal overweight or obesity was not associated with infant cognitive development. In rodent models, leptin induces excitatory synaptogenesis and promotes hippocampal dendrite formation to mediate learning and task function. In contrast, high or low leptin levels will impair hippocampal maturation. The relationship between neural development and metabolism needs further study.
Obesity not only affects our own health, but this hazard seems to be able to endanger the health of future generations just like a genetic disease. A healthy lifestyle is very important, as is maintaining a normal weight. For your own health and for the health of future generations, live healthy and stay fit!