Study: Maternal Obesity Tied To Liver Cancer Risk In Offspring

Researchers in China have found that obesity, which could reach 50 per cent of the population in certain developed countries by 2030, not only affects the health of those who suffer from it but could also have serious consequences for their offspring.

The findings are published in the journal ‘Cancer’. One of the main causes was the transmission of a disturbed intestinal microbiota from the mother, resulting in a chronic liver disease whose effects became apparent in adulthood.

These results, which have yet to be confirmed in humans, are a warning signal and a call for action to limit the deleterious effect of obesity on children. The scientific community suspects that maternal obesity disrupts the metabolic balance of the unborn child, and even increases the risk of childhood cancer and colorectal cancer. “We wanted to understand whether the children of mothers suffering from obesity were at greater risk of developing liver diseases, and by what biological mechanisms.”