ABSTRACT BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) is a known cardiovascular risk factor. However, its role in intergenerational cardiometabolic risk is unknown. We hypothesized

that maternal elevated Hcy can act alone or in combination with maternal prepregnancy obesity to increase child systolic blood pressure (SBP). METHODS: This study included 1279 mother-child

pairs who were enrolled at birth and followed prospectively up to age 9 years from 2003 to 2014 at the Boston Medical Center. Child SBP percentile was calculated according to US reference

data and elevated SBP was defined as SBP⩾75th percentile. RESULTS: A U-shaped relationship between maternal Hcy and her child SBP was observed. The risk for child elevated SBP was higher

mothers with Hcy in Q2–Q3. This association was independent from maternal folate and vitamin B12 status, and was not mediated by gestational age or size at birth. CONCLUSIONS: In this

prospective birth cohort, we observed a U-shaped association between maternal Hcy levels and child elevated SBP. Maternal high Hcy (Q4) and prepregnancy obesity jointly increased the risk of

child elevated SBP by more than two-fold. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access

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Article Open access 15 October 2022 MATERNAL SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY LINKS TO CHILDHOOD BLOOD PRESSURE THROUGH BIRTH WEIGHT AND BODY MASS INDEX: NHANES 1999–2018 Article 29 September 2023

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self-reported weight and height in the french gazel cohort. _Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord_ 2000; 24: 1111–1118. Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We

wish to thank all of the study participants and the Boston Medical Center Labor and Delivery Nursing Staff for their support and help with the study. We thank TR Bartell (Ann & Robert H

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Chicago, USA) for English editing. The Boston Birth Cohort (the parent study) was supported in part by the

March of Dimes PERI grants (20-FY02-56, #21-FY07-605), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants (R21ES011666, 2R01HD041702, R21HD066471). The follow-up study is supported in part

by the NIH grants (U01AI090727, R21AI079872, R01HD086013); and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (R40MC27443). Dr. Hongjian Wang is supported by a Chinese Scholarships Council

scholarship, grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81300156) and PUMC Youth Fund/the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (3332015103). AUTHOR

INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, National Clinical Research Center of Cardiovascular

Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China H Wang * Department of Population,

Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA H Wang, B P Xu, R B Xu, S O Walker & G Wang Authors * H Wang View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * B P Xu View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * R B Xu View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S O Walker View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * G Wang View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to G Wang. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no

conflict of interest. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on International Journal of Obesity website SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S1

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KB) SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE S6 (DOCX 20 KB) RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Wang, H., Xu, B., Xu, R. _et al._ Joint effect of maternal plasma

homocysteine and prepregnancy obesity on child blood pressure: a prospective birth cohort study. _Int J Obes_ 41, 1447–1453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.109 Download citation *

Received: 23 November 2016 * Revised: 06 March 2017 * Accepted: 19 April 2017 * Published: 03 May 2017 * Issue Date: September 2017 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.109 SHARE THIS

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