Excess Prepregnancy Parental Adiposity Linked to Offspring MASLD

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Prepregnancy parental overweight or obesity is associated with increased odds of offspring metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in adulthood, according to a study published online Feb. 24 in Gut.

Stefani Tica, M.D., from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues examined prospective associations between prepregnancy biparental adiposity and offspring MASLD in adulthood (age 24 years) in a study of 1,933 offspring from the U.K. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

The researchers found that 10.4 percent of offspring had MASLD at age 24 years. Independent associations were seen for prepregnancy maternal and paternal obesity with increased odds of offspring MASLD. Each 1-kg/m² increase in maternal and paternal body mass index (BMI) increased the odds of MASLD by 10 and 9 percent, respectively (odds ratios, 1.10 and 1.09). The odds of offspring MASLD were further increased with biparental overweight or obesity (odds ratio, 3.73) compared with parents with a normal BMI. Cumulative excess childhood BMI mediated 67 percent of this association, with a defined area under the curve for BMI z score >1 for ages 7 to 17 years.

“We found that not only maternal but also paternal obesity increased the risk of offspring MASLD. Although the mechanisms behind this association are complex, our study suggests a window where early intervention on excess adiposity may decrease the burden of MASLD among future generations,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to Need and Bayer.

Abstract/Full Text