Maternal Genetics Impact Child Obesity Outside Inherited DNA

A mother’s genes may be particularly important in determining the body mass index (BMI) of her children, research suggests, with both direct genetic and nurturing effects coming into play.

By contrast, the findings in PLOS Genetics suggested that fathers’ genetic makeup had little impact on their child’s BMI outside the genes that they directly pass on.

“Our results suggest mother’s weight could affect their children’s weight; policies to reduce obesity could have intergenerational benefits,” the authors, led by Liam Wright, PhD, from University College London, asserted in a press statement.

Obesity has risen dramatically among children in recent decades, and the role of parents in this is a focus of research. Obese children are likely to have parents that are also obese, and severa