Adriëtte Oostvogels

heavier are more likely to be become heavier than boys born heavy. 41 Also, animal studies show that female foetuses were more vulnerable to excess fructose than male foetuses: leading to higher insulin levels and higher postnatal leptin levels, 42 which may induce weight gain and lead to higher BMI in girls. 43,44 Conclusion From birth onwards, offspring of overweight and obese mothers grew faster in weight, height and BMI than offspring of normal weight mothers and these differences increased when children aged. The effects were more pronounced in girls than in boys. This suggests that girls are more susceptible to the adverse effects of maternal overweight before pregnancy. These results suggest that a healthy weight before pregnancy may be beneficial for optimal growth in weight, height and BMI in the offspring. 160 Chapter 6