Eating excessive added sugar during pregnancy mediates adverse effects of foetal cardiac development which persists into adulthood. This research looks at the effect of maternal diet on offspring long-term health.
What is the issue for NSW?
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy characterized by an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, is a clinically variable disease and the leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy occurs in 1-in-200 adults and leads to poorer heart function with long-term complications and also poorer quality of life.
Numerous studies suggest the onset of hypertrophy is detectable in babies while they are still in the womb, maybe as early as 22 weeks into the pregnancy. Our work suggests the development of cardiac hypertrophy in utero is affected by the mother eating excessive sugar while pregnant, and that babies born to such mothers have enlarged hearts.
Understanding how eating sugar while pregnant affects the baby’s heart will lead to better nutritional guidelines and reduce the incidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in future generations.
Collaborating Organisations:
The University of Sydney
Heart Research Institute
The Centenary Institute
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The University of Melbourne
BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center