Protein intake during pregnancy is essential for growing babies, according to a new study. So much so, that when pregnant women did not consume enough protein, which caused them to lack essential amino acids during pregnancy, their babies tended to be underweighted and suffered from kidney issues, which followed the babies into adulthood in the form of hypertension.
According to researchers from the University of Campinas, in association with the Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, the amount of protein women eat during pregnancy directly impacts the health and development of babies in utero.
The study, funded by FAPESP and published in the journal, PLOS ONE, observed how different protein intakes in pregnant rats had irreversible health repercussions on rat pups.
According to Medical Xpress, the rat pups whose mothers ate lower protein diets had a 28 percent decrease in nephrons. This is important because nephrons are what helps to filter the blood through the kidneys to eliminate toxins that need to be removed, according to Kidney Chat.
When the ability to filter is diminished, hypertension can result. And in the rat pups, hypertension was visible just 10 weeks after birth, according to the study.
The Centers for Disease Control state that 45 percent of adults in the United States suffer from hypertension. And of those people, only 24 percent have their hypertension under control. This means that a good portion of the population is at risk for heart disease and stroke, according to the publication.
As such, if there is a way to reduce that risk while babies are in utero, it should be done to help eliminate the causes of hypertension that have become commonplace in the population at large.
According to researchers, the drop in nephrons is caused by environmental factors, not genetic ones, per News-Medical.net. This means that gene expression, or the way that genes are built, is altered by an insufficient amount of protein. This is measured via microRNA, which regulates genes. When genes are altered, the alteration can be passed along to future generations, putting them at risk for early-onset hypertension as well.
Of the rats who were fed a normal 17 percent daily intake of protein during pregnancy versus those who were fed six percent, there was a change in 44 microRNAs, seven of which were "essential to nephron development," according to Medical Xpress. This was detected in rat pup fetuses in as few as 17 days gestation, which shows just how early on a lack of protein can affect babies.
This study underlines the importance of including proper amounts of protein in a diet while expecting as it is the building block for the development of babies. Without proper amounts, babies may face a lifetime of medical issues that could have easily been avoided by proper nutrition in the early days of pregnancy.
Source: Medical Xpress, News-Medical.net, PLOS ONE, Centers for Disease Control, Kidney Chat