Research conducted by scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that multiple births can increase the risk of obesity in women and their sons, reports the Toronto Sun.

Lead study author Laura Woollett, PhD, UC professor of pathology and her team compared a group of female pregnant mice that gave birth four times with a group of mice that gave birth only once, notes the daily tabloid newspaper.

On weighing these animals and assessing their fat deposits, researchers found that mice that gave birth multiple times were 45% heavier than the mice that gave birth just once at the same age, indicating that giving birth more than once leads to weight gain in women regardless of their age.

According to the Canadian newspaper, significantly larger fat deposits and higher glucose spikes after meals, the warning signs of diabetes, were reported in multiparous mouse mums in comparison to the other group.

When compared with the mums with a single offspring and others who were given a high-fat diet, multiparous mums showed higher levels of inflammation, a condition linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and a variety of other diseases.

After performing similar tests on the male offspring of the mice, researchers found that sons of multiparous mice weighed around 40% more than the sons of mice with a single offspring, reports Toronto Sun.

Citing the results, Laura Woollett told the newspaper that these findings suggests that multiple pregnancies that lead to metabolic stresses on women, can be part of an obesity cycle between mothers and their offspring, adding that effective weight loss treatment can help women lose weight between pregnancies to maintain their as well as their unborn baby’s health.

The English-language newspaper learns that the study will be published in the February edition of the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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