Mihaela Adela Iancu1, Mihaela Nicoletta Sandu1, Adriana Ticarau1, Ramona Dorothea Calin1, Daniela Popescu1, Calin Popovici2, Andrei Kozma2,3,4 *
Abstract. Maternal health across the preconception and prenatal periods is a critical determinant of offspring metabolic development and risk of childhood obesity. Preconception factors—including maternal overweight or obesity, metabolic dysfunctions, inadequate nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and adverse lifestyle behaviors—can initiate biological and epigenetic pathways that predispose the fetus to impaired energy regulation. During pregnancy, maternal overnutrition, undernutrition, and inappropriate gestational weight gain further influence fetal adiposity and long-term metabolic programming. Harmful prenatal exposures such as smoking, alcohol or cocaine use, and chronic maternal stress disrupt endocrine and neurodevelopmental pathways essential for energy homeostasis. Additionally, pregnancy-related conditions, including gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and placental ischemia, compromise nutrient delivery and induce compensatory metabolic adaptations associated with increased obesity risk in later life. Collectively, these findings highlight the need for comprehensive maternal health optimization before conception and throughout pregnancy as a fundamental strategy to reduce the intergenerational transmission of obesity.
Keywords: maternal obesity, maternal nutrition, intrauterine environment, childhood obesity
DOI 10.56082/annalsarscibio.2025.2.52
1Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Department of Internal, Family and Occupational Medicine, Dionisie Lupu, Bucharest, Romania
2 “Alessandrescu-Rusescu” National Institutute for Mother and Child Health Bucharest, Romania
3 National Institute of Recovery, Phisycal Medicine and Balneoclimathology, Bucharest, Romania
4 Academy of Romanian Scientists, 3, Ilfov Street, 050045, Bucharest, Romania
Coressponding author e-mail: dr.ka.mailbox@gmail.com
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Biological Sciences, Volume 14 no 2, 2025