A drug that increases energy metabolism may lead to a new approach to prevent obesity in children born to overweight mothers. Research in animal models showed that overweight expectant rats are more likely to have babies who may have an increased risk of developing obesity later in life.
Exercise can reverse some of the negative consequences of maternal obesity. Exercise increases the function of mitochondria, which are the powerhouse of human cells that make energy.
During the study, female mice whose mothers were obese were given either a normal diet or a high-fat diet and given treadmill exercise for nine weeks or nicotinamide mononucleotide NMN for 18 days. The researchers discovered that both the NMN treatment and exercise reduced the negative metabolic consequences of maternal obesity in the offspring.
Both interventions reduced the amount of body fat, and led to some improvement in glucose tolerance and markers of mitochondrial function. A short-term NMN treatment of animals from obese mothers had the same benefit as their siblings who exercised.
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