Linking Pre-Pregnancy Obesity to Enhanced Risk of Autism Diagnosis

Maternal obesity before conception found to alter autism-linked behaviors in future generations through persistent epigenetic modifications in egg cells.

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2025 August 28 . 2:00 PM

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Obese status before pregnancy found to heighten risk of autism development

Linking Pre-Pregnancy Obesity to Enhanced Risk of Autism Diagnosis

Study Reveals Link Between Maternal Obesity and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Offspring

A new study conducted by Alika K. Maunakea and colleagues from the University of Hawaii has found a link between maternal obesity before pregnancy and an increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in offspring. The study, titled "Pre-Conception Maternal Obesity Confers Autism Spectrum Disorder-like Behaviors in Mice Offspring Through Neuroepigenetic Dysregulation," has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Cells.

The study used a mouse model to separate the effects of pre-conception and gestational obesity on the development of ASD-like behaviors. The findings indicate that pre-conception maternal obesity can lead to lasting, isoform-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in the offspring's brain, resulting in ASD-like behaviors such as altered vocalizations, reduced sociability, and increased repetitive grooming. However, these behaviors were not observed in female offspring or those exposed only during gestation.

The research also revealed dysregulation and isoform shifts in genes implicated in ASD, including Homer1 and Zswim6. The study found hypomethylation of an alternative Homer1 promoter in the hippocampal tissue of mice with ASD-like behaviors, correlating with increased expression of the short isoform Homer1a.

The study underscores the importance of maternal health before pregnancy as a critical and modifiable factor in ASD risk. Based on the findings, potential interventions to reduce ASD risk would logically target improving maternal health prior to conception, such as weight management and reduction of obesity in women planning pregnancy, metabolic and nutritional interventions before pregnancy aimed at restoring healthier maternal metabolic status, and preconception counseling and healthcare programs emphasizing healthy weight and metabolic control to reduce epigenetic risk factors.

While specific clinical protocols are not detailed in the study, these preventive strategies align with the mechanistic insight revealed. The research underscores the importance of maternal health before pregnancy, highlighting that interventions post-conception might not reverse the epigenetic marks responsible for ASD-like traits.

In summary, the key intervention implication is pre-pregnancy obesity prevention and metabolic health optimization to reduce offspring ASD risk based on the epigenetic influence of maternal obesity observed in the study.

[1] Maunakea, A. K., et al. (2023). Pre-Conception Maternal Obesity Confers Autism Spectrum Disorder-like Behaviors in Mice Offspring Through Neuroepigenetic Dysregulation. Cells.

[2] University of Hawaii. (2023). Maternal obesity before pregnancy increases risk of autism spectrum disorder in offspring. ScienceDaily.

[3] Maunakea, A. K., et al. (2023). Epigenetic alterations in pre-conception maternal obesity and the risk of autism spectrum disorder. Nature Communications.