Negative Impact Of Obesity On Fertility Is Reversable

A team at the University of Adelaide's Robinson Research Institute has discovered how damage caused from obesity passed from mother to child can be reversed, and the findings could have major implications for future fertility research.

The study's lead author Associate Professor Rebecca Robker said it's well established that obesity in females can lead to serious fertility problems.

"Obesity can also result in altered growth of babies during pregnancy, and it permanently programs the metabolism of offspring, passing the damage caused by obesity from one generation to the next," she said.

"In our laboratory studies, we've been able to unravel a key mechanism that leads to this multi-generational damage, and we've found a way to stop it happening."

It was discovered that obesity causes a specific stress response, resulting in damage to the mitochondria - critical energy-producing 'organs' within living cells.

"All of the mitochondria in our bodies come from our mother. If the mother is obese, this produces stresses that lead to reduced transmission of mitochondria to the offspring. We found that the eggs of such mothers lead to heavier-than-normal fetuses with greatly reduced amounts of mitochondrial DNA and other obvious signs of damage," she said.

"Once we had identified the type of stress involved, we used compounds known to alleviate that stress in the cells. In particular, we were interested in compounds that are also being tested in diabetes clinical trials."

"These compounds were highly successful in preventing the stress response, thereby stopping the damage from obesity being passed onto the offspring. It restored egg quality, embryo development and mitochondrial DNA to levels equivalent to those of a healthy mother. Effectively, the problem was fully reversed."

Associate Professor Robker said the results of this work signify the potential for therapy aimed at restoring "natural" fertility in obese women, in turn preventing multi-generational damage.

She also said the research highlights the importance of women's nutritional state prior to pregnancy.

"Women are urged to eat healthy diets to optimise their chances for a healthy conception and to reduce the potential impact on their child's future health," she said