The influence of the socioeconomic status and maternal serum lipids on lipid concentrations and anthropometry in the first year of life

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of maternal lipid concentrations during second and third trimester on infant lipid levels within the first year of life, infant anthropometry and the examination of socioeconomic influence. Methods Between 2011 and 2021, 982 mother-child pairs were recruited in the LIFE-Child study. To investigate the influence of prenatal factors, pregnant women at the 24th and 36th week of gestation as well as children at the age of 3, 6 and 12 months were examined and serum lipids determined. Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using the validated Winkler Index. Results A higher maternal BMI was associated with a significantly lower Winkler score and a higher infant weight, height, head circumference and BMI from birth up to the 4th-5th week of life. In addition, the Winkler Index correlates with maternal HDL cholesterol and ApoA1 levels. There was no relation between the delivery mode and the maternal BMI or SES. For the maternal HDL cholesterol concentration in the third trimester, an inverse relation to children’s height, weight, head circumference and BMI up to the first year of life as well as the chest and abdominal circumference to an age of 3 months was found. Children born to mothers with dyslipidemia in pregnancy tended to have a worse lipid profile than those born to normolipidemic mothers. Conclusion Serum lipid concentrations and anthropometric parameters of children in the first year of life are affected by multiple factors like the maternal BMI, lipid levels and SES.