Diet and lifestyle of parents before conception play a key role in health of offspring

Researchers in Southampton are calling for a greater public awareness of preconception health and improved guidance, focusing on diet and nutrition, to improve the health of future generations.

In a new series of papers published in The Lancet Professor Keith Godfrey and Dr Mary Barker, from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, discuss how parents’ diet and health influence the growth, development and long-term health of their children before they’re conceived.

“A large amount of evidence that shows the preconception period is of paramount importance in helping the next generation be healthier in ways that reduce obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases such as cancer and stroke,” explained Dr Barker, behavioural science co-lead at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Associate Professor at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit.

“We’re calling for a joint focus to help improve the health of future generations and need an approach that involves all aspects of society – government, schools, medical professionals, aspiring parents and today’s teenagers. It is everyone’s responsibility to support our young adults become successful parents of healthy, long-lived children.”

Defining the preconception period

Up to now, the preconception period has been defined as “the three months before conception” as this is the average time it takes for couples to become pregnant naturally. However, this ignores the time it takes to achieve preconception health improvements, such as achieving a healthy weight, which can take much longer.

Taking this into account, Professor Godfrey and Dr Barker suggest the preconception period should be redefined as: biologically – the days to weeks before and after fertilisation; individually – as the weeks or months when a woman or couple decides to have a child; at a public health level – as the months or years needed to address preconception health factors, such as diet and obesity, before pregnancy.

Preconception health factors

Previous research shows that poor diet, high alcohol consumption and obesity before pregnancy can cause genetic, cellular, metabolic and physiological changes to the development of a baby in the womb.

This not only increases the chances of health issues during the first years of a child’s life but it can also have lasting consequences into adulthood and increase the risk of developing health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke.

In the UK it’s estimated that many women are not nutritionally prepared for pregnancy and 96% of women of reproductive age have dietary intakes of iron and folate that are below recommendations.

Improving preconception health

“Through previous research we know that dietary influences years before conception play a key role in the lifelong health of offspring and therefore believe diet and lifestyle changes need to begin years before pregnancy,” explains Professor Godfrey, nutrition lead at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit.

“This reinforces the importance of improving everyone’s health from an early age to avoid poor preconception health, and improve the health of future generations.”

Starting in adolescence, Professor Godfrey and Dr Barker recommend that schools need to help young adults prepare for parenthood in the future by offering engaging ways for them to improve their diets and health. This includes highlighting the risks and implications that being unhealthy can have in later life, in pregnancy, and for future generations. The University of Southampton LifeLab programme has already started to do this.

“In adults with no immediate plans to become pregnant, we call for social change that supports improved public awareness of preconception health and, lastly, in adults planning to become pregnant, we call for improved support and practical tools for preconception health.”

“We have the infrastructure to improve the overall health of the population but we must now prioritise improving preconception health.”