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Obesity Inheritance in Children
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In addition to a genetic (and epigenetic) predisposition, a societal tendency toward increased calorie consumption, and obese parents all have a role in the development of juvenile obesity. Obese parents are known to produce obese offspring, according to several epidemiological research.

Obesity Inheritance in Children
A number of recent research have addressed the possible biological pathways that may explain the intergenerational transmission of obesity. Many obesity-related genes are expressed preferentially in brain areas important for self-regulation of food-seeking behaviours, especially when highly rewarding foods are involved. These genes are often passed down from one parent to the other. Dlpfc and anterior cingulate gyrus are two of the most critical brain areas with self-regulation circuits.
Obesity in parents and self-regulation in children
Prenatal exposure to parental obesity was examined in research to see whether the brain’s self-regulation circuitry was impacted. 76 healthy children aged 7 to 11 years old were studied by researchers who looked at the link between father BMI, mother BMI (both pre-and post-pregnancy), and the response of certain brain areas to food cues (28 males, 48 females; 89.5 percent were prepubertal; 63.2 percent were of normal weight, 11.8 percent overweight, and 25 percent obese). Obesity-related genes inherited from an obese father or mother may have a role in their child’s altered self-regulation circuitry, according to researchers.
One parent’s obesity led to the obesity of both of their children, a conclusion that is consistent with earlier research. From 19.63 to 58.85, the mother’s BMI fluctuated, whereas the father’s BMI ranged from 22.60 to 46.99. Their child’s BMI was connected with both their mother’s and their father’s BMI, which was a substantial correlation.
Magnetic Resonance Therapy (MRI) Researchers found that food signals were more likely to activate activity in a child’s lateral prefrontal cortex, as well as the anterior cingulate gyrus. The findings of the imaging investigation showed that the mother’s level of obesity was strongly linked to her children’s inability to activate the self-regulation brain areas. These brain areas were not affected by the father’s level of obesity.
What is the significance of these findings? Normally, the anterior cingulate gyrus and the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex are responsible for our ability to manage our food intake. They’re there to keep us from indulging in high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar meals. Obese moms’ children have a brain that may not respond correctly to food rewards, according to one research. The intergenerational prevalence of obesity may be explained by the decreased responses of these two important locations.
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