28 October 2019
2019 Fellow - Dr Samantha Solon-Biet You are what your mum eats – is obesity programmed in the womb?
DR SAMANTHA SOLON-BIET
The University of Sydney
You are what your mum eats – is obesity programmed in the womb?
Mothers continue to contemplate their maternal nutrition during pregnancy, and it is well accepted that in-utero exposure to maternal diet can influence the newborn’s body composition and susceptibility to disease in later life.
Dr Samantha Solon-Biet is a nutritional biologist investigating maternal nutrition, in specific protein intake and how it can influence obesity in the child.
This research stems from the knowledge that all animals, including humans have their own unique protein set point, an innate target that drives appetite and that each person must reach to feel satisfied. Researchers are now trying to clarify, if this set point is programmed in the uterus and if it is a consequence of the mother’s diet.
This could help to explain known patterns in the epidemiology of obesity, and will help provide mothers a better understanding of what to eat in order to prevent obesity in their children.
So instead of saying you are what you eat, maybe we should be saying, you are what your mother eats.