| Maternal obesity, metabolic disease, and allostatic load. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 21939681 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Maternal obesity is a risk factor for many metabolic diseases for the mother, both during gestation and post partum, and for the child in later life. Obesity and pregnancy both result in altered physiological states, significantly different from the state of the non-obese, non-reproductive adult female. The concept of allostasis may be more appropriate for understanding the physiology of both pregnancy and obesity. In pregnancy these altered physiological states are adaptive, in both the evolutionary and physiological senses of the word. Obesity, however, represents a state outside of the adaptive evolutionary experience of our species. In both cases the altered physiological state derives at least in part from signals from an active endocrine organ. In obesity this is adipose tissue, and in pregnancy it is the placenta. The signaling molecules from adipose tissue and placenta all have multiple functions and can affect multiple organ systems. Placenta acts as a central regulator of metabolism for both the maternal and fetal compartments, in essence acting as a "third brain" during pregnancy. Both adipose tissue and placenta express many proinflammatory cytokines; obesity and pregnancy are states of low-grade inflammation. Both obesity and pregnancy are also states of insulin resistance, and maternal obesity is associated with fetal insulin resistance. We argue that obesity during pregnancy leads to sustained and inappropriate activation of normally adaptive regulatory circuits due in part to competing and conflicting signaling from adipose tissue and placenta. This results in allostatic load, leading to the eventual break down of regulatory mechanisms. The result is impaired metabolic function of the mother, and altered development of metabolic systems and potentially altered neural appetite circuits for the offspring. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Michael L Power; Jay Schulkin |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2011-9-14 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Physiology & behavior Volume: - ISSN: 1873-507X ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2011 Sep |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-9-23 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0151504 Medline TA: Physiol Behav Country: - |
Other Details:
|
Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: - |
Copyright Information:
|
Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: 'Winner effect' without winning: Unresolved social conflicts increase the probability of winning a s...
Next Document: Characterization of a venom peptide from a crassispirid gastropod.