The health condition of a pregnant mother plays a vital role in the health of their offspring. This is not my sole opinion. Research into maternal health and its effect on offspring has shown the correlation.
Part of this research observed that vitamin B12 deficiency in pregnant mothers increased insulin resistance in their offspring. Not to mention that the pregnant women also developed insulin resistance in this case.
When there is a correlation, it is always important to explain how the correlation occurs. Now, researchers at University of Warwick have begun to understand how vitamin B12 deficiency causes insulin resistance.
And their research has shown that it all boils down to the hormone LEPTIN. And what exactly does leptin do? Well, it’s the hormone that tells us when we feel full. This hormone is produced by the fat cells in our body. So, any diet that does not have too much fat will produce low levels of leptin.
On the other hand, in fatty diets there is an increase in the levels of leptin. And the more obese you get, the higher the levels of leptin. If the levels of leptin increase, there is a tendency for the individual to keep eating in order to feel full. Leptin levels are higher in obese individuals and this causes a resistance to leptin and insulin. And as we all know, increased insulin resistance will increase the risk for type 2 diabetes.
The research study found the levels of leptin were increased in the offspring of vitamin B12-deficient mothers. Hence, leptin has been chosen as an indicator of the potential risk of type 2 diabetes.
These are preliminary data that were put forth at the annual conference of the Society for Endocrinology in November 2016.
It is clear that the health of the mother has implications on the offspring in more ways than one. The fact that the effect of maternal health actually extends into the adult life of their offspring is very pertinent.
Our body is a mix of skin, bones, muscles, proteins, fats, hormones, DNA, RNA, and amino acids. Like a well-oiled machine, our body functions well if all the networks and signals are in sync.
In undernourished or overnourished pregnant women, their offspring have a likelihood of developing diabetes.
The researchers now will try to see how vitamin B12 deficiency triggers an increase in leptin. Is the effect through genetic manipulation or is it due to an increase in the fat cells in the fetus, which triggers an increase in leptin? These questions need to be answered to understand the effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on the risk of type 2 diabetes.
