How a Mother’s High-Fat, High-Sugar Diet Affects Sons’ and Daughters’ Hearts Later in Life

What is it about?

Obesity and high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets in mothers can raise the risk of heart and metabolic problems in their children. However, it’s not well understood how these effects differ between males and females later in life. In this study, female mice were fed either a normal chow (CON) diet or an HFHS diet for 8 weeks before pregnancy and continuing through pregnancy and nursing. Their offspring stayed on the same diet until about 30 weeks old. Researchers measured body composition and heart function using pressure–volume (P–V) loop tests. Mice exposed to the HFHS diet weighed more and had higher body fat, especially males. Although males had more lean mass overall, both males and females showed a drop in relative lean mass by 22 weeks on the HFHS diet. Heart testing revealed that HFHS exposure impaired the heart's ability to pump and relax. Both sexes had larger heart chamber volumes, lower ejection fraction, and reduced end-systolic elastance, signs of weaker heart contraction. Diastolic (relaxation) function differed by sex: males had slower heart relaxation, while females had stiffer heart walls. The balance between the heart and blood vessels (ventricular–arterial coupling) was worse in HFHS-exposed mice, especially in females. Overall, long-term HFHS exposure caused sex-specific heart problems, with females showing more stiffness and reduced heart–vessel coordination. These results suggest that preventing heart disease from early-life diet exposure may require sex-specific approaches.

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Why is it important?

Early-life diet affects lifelong heart health: This research shows that what a mother eats before and during pregnancy can change the heart function of her children even months later. There are differences between males and females: Males and females respond differently to early exposure to a high-fat, high-sugar diet. Females may be more prone to stiff hearts and heart–vessel problems, which could affect how we prevent or treat heart disease. Understanding these differences can help doctors and scientists develop sex-specific ways to reduce heart disease risk in people exposed to poor diets early in life. Connects obesity to heart problems: With rising obesity and sugary diets in many populations, this research highlights the long-term consequences for children’s heart health.

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