Obesity Inherited from Grandmothers

Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer and other illnesses associated with obesity, can be transmitted from generation to generation, as BBC reports. This was stated by the staff of the University of Edinburgh.

It has been found that overweight grandmothers affect their grandchildren’s state: the latter have an increased obesity risk, unlike their mothers. According to the scientists, the body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 34.9 is obesity level I, associated with a moderate health risk.

The experts’ conclusion is based on the results of the experiment with mice. They observed the condition of moderately obese females. The animals were kept on a diet, given fat and sugary foods before and during pregnancy. As a result, lapses were found in the second generation, while the first generation was absolutely normal. Scientists can not explain this fact yet. Perhaps it was caused by the mother’s weight during pregnancy or food consumption during this period.

Dr. Amanda Drake says that it is important to understand how the growing obesity epidemic in the world will affect future generations. More research is needed, taking into account the genetic, social, cultural and environmental factors.