If Mom Is Overweight, Daughter Is Too... But Not the Son

Research Conducted on 240 Parent-Child Pairs
No Correlation Found Among Mother-Son, Father-Son, or Father-Daughter Pairs

A study has found that the probability of an obese daughter being born to an obese mother is higher than the likelihood of an obese daughter being born to a mother with a normal weight. However, no such association was found between mothers and sons, fathers and sons, or fathers and daughters.

On the 4th (local time), according to HealthDay News, Professor Rebecca Moon's research team at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Centre of the University of Southampton in the UK announced the results of a study conducted on 240 parent-child pairs.

The study results showed a strong correlation between fat mass and body mass index (BMI) of mothers and daughters.

Fat mass refers to the amount of fat in the body weight. BMI is calculated by dividing weight (kg) by the square of height (m). In the West, a BMI of 18.4 or below is classified as underweight, 18.5?24.9 as normal, 25?29.9 as overweight, 30?34.9 as obese, 35?39.9 as severely obese, and 40 or above as morbidly obese.

[Image source=Pixabay]

The research team measured body composition when the children were aged 4?6, 6?7, and 8?9 years using anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body composition refers to the components that make up the human body, such as fat, protein, and minerals.

They also measured the parents' body composition using the same methods when the children were 8?9 years old to examine any associations between parents and children. The team reported that fat mass and BMI between mothers and daughters showed a strong correlation when the children were 6?7 and 8?9 years old.

An association was also found between mothers and daughters when the children were 4 years old. The confidence interval was 95%.

Little Association Between Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters... Further Research Needed

[Photo by AP]

However, no such association was found at any age group of children between mothers and sons, fathers and sons, or fathers and daughters.

The research team stated that further studies are needed to understand why this result appears exclusively between mothers and daughters.

This research was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the official journal of the American Endocrine Society.