The goal of the MAMMA (MAternal Metabolic Markers of infant Adiposity) Study is to determine how maternal fat metabolism in early pregnancy programs placental lipid metabolism and a baby’s fat deposition.
We hypothesize that obese women who have a high fat metabolism in early pregnancy will have a unique lipid profile and these lipids will act as “signals” to the developing placenta, programming placental lipid metabolism in early pregnancy and increasing lipid delivery to the baby and fat accrual. To test this hypothesis, we recruit healthy women and follow them throughout pregnancy, measuring their fat metabolism, diet and body composition in early and again in late pregnancy. We measure placental lipid metabolism and their babies’ fat mass at birth.
This is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study in collaboration with the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University. For more information about the study, please contact Dr. O’Tierney-Ginn.