PhD defence E. (Ellis) Voerman

Childhood obesity is a major public health problem. In addition to well-known risk factors such as genetic predisposition, excess energy intake and sedentary behavior, susceptibility to obesity might already be established in early life. The objective of this thesis was to assess the associations of common maternal dietary factors during pregnancy (intakes of caffeine and milk) and maternal adiposity before and during pregnancy with growth, body fat development and cardio-metabolic risk factors in children, as well as the metabolic mechanisms that potentially underlie these associations. This research was part of the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort study from early pregnancy onwards in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the LifeCycle – Maternal Obesity and Childhood Outcomes (MOCO) collaboration, an international collaboration of 39 pregnancy and birth cohort studies. Results from this thesis suggest that both maternal dietary factors (intakes of caffeine and milk) and maternal adiposity influence offspring growth and body fat development. Changes in metabolism might underlie these associations. These results highlight the importance of a healthy diet and a healthy weight before and during pregnancy in reducing the burden of childhood obesity.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall or in the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.