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Longitudinal associations of pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain with maternal urinary metabolites: an NYU CHES study

International Journal of Obesity volume 46, pages 1332–1340 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) and pre-pregnancy obesity affect a significant portion of the US pregnant population and are linked with negative maternal and child health outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index (pBMI) and GWG with longitudinally measured maternal urinary metabolites throughout pregnancy.

Subjects/Methods

Among 652 participants in the New York University Children’s Health and Environment Study, a longitudinal pregnancy cohort, targeted metabolomics were measured in serially collected urine samples throughout pregnancy. Metabolites were measured at median 10 (T1), 21 (T2), and 29 (T3) weeks gestation using the Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p180 Urine Extension kit. Acylcarnitine, amino acid, biogenic amine, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingolipid, and sugar levels were quantified. Pregnant people 18 years or older, without type 1 or 2 diabetes and with singleton live births and valid pBMI and metabolomics data were included. GWG and pBMI were calculated using weight and height data obtained from electronic health records. Linear mixed effects models with interactions with time were fit to determine the gestational age-specific associations of categorical pBMI and continuous interval-specific GWG with urinary metabolites. All analyses were corrected for false discovery rate.

Results

Participants with obesity had lower long-chain acylcarnitine levels throughout pregnancy and lower phosphatidylcholine and glucogenic amino acids and higher phenylethylamine concentrations in T2 and T3 compared with participants with normal/underweight pBMI. GWG was associated with taurine in T2 and T3 and C5 acylcarnitine species, C5:1, C5-DC, and C5-M-DC, in T2.

Conclusions

pBMI and GWG were associated with the metabolic environment of pregnant individuals, particularly in relation to mid-pregnancy. These results highlight the importance of both preconception and prenatal maternal health.

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Acknowledgements

NYU CHES was supported by institutional funds of NYU Grossman School of Medicine as well as the NIH Office of the Director (UG3/UH3OD023305). In addition, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences grant number R01ES032808 and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Award Number K99ES030403 supported this work. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Environmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Sara E. Long, Melanie H. Jacobson, Yelena Afanasyeva, Linda G. Kahn & Leonardo Trasande

  2. Department of Population Health, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Yuyan Wang, Mengling Liu, Yelena Afanasyeva, Linda G. Kahn & Leonardo Trasande

  3. Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Mengling Liu & Leonardo Trasande

  4. Department of Nutrition, UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Susan J. Sumner

  5. UNC Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute, Kannapolis, NC, USA

    Susan J. Sumner, Susan McRitchie & David R. Kirchner

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Sara G. Brubaker & Shilpi S. Mehta-Lee

  7. NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY, USA

    Leonardo Trasande

  8. NYU College of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA

    Leonardo Trasande

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  1. Sara E. Long
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Contributions

SEL contributed to the conceptualization and methodology of this research as well as the data cleaning, formal analysis, and original manuscript draft. MHJ contributed to the conceptualization, methodology, supervision, and original manuscript draft. YW and ML contributed to the methodology of the research. YA contributed to the data cleaning. SJS, SM, and DRK processed and analyzed the metabolomics data and contributed to the interpretation of results. SGB and SSM contributed to the interpretations of results. LGK contributed to the conceptualization and methodology of this research. LT contributed to the conceptualization, methodology, and supervision of this research as well as providing the funding. All authors provided feedback on and approval of the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sara E. Long.

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Long, S.E., Jacobson, M.H., Wang, Y. et al. Longitudinal associations of pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain with maternal urinary metabolites: an NYU CHES study. Int J Obes 46, 1332–1340 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-022-01116-0

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