Maternal overnutrition and mitochondrial function

Abstract Pregnancy is a time of large physiological changes to maternal metabolism. Placental hormone secretions cause a rise in maternal insulin resistance that ensures adequate glucose supply to the developing fetus. Mitochondria in highly metabolically active organs—such as skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, pancreatic beta cells, and the placenta—play a critical role in accomplishing the metabolic alterations associated with healthy pregnancy. In mothers who are overweight or obese prior to falling pregnant, baseline insulin resistance is high, and is further exacerbated by the pregnancy-associated rise in insulin resistance. This, and other obesity-related metabolic maladaptations, has been linked to the development of important pregnancy disorders such as gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia, which can have major adverse effects on the mother and offspring in both the short term and long term.