A new study from Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland shows that early indicators of fatty liver disease in children may be linked to both maternal health during pregnancy and early-life nutrition and metabolism.
The population-based study followed 488 Finnish children from early childhood into adolescence. Researchers examined maternal health during pregnancy alongside the child’s diet, lifestyle, body composition, and metabolism, and their associations with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels – an early marker of MASLD.
A key finding was that maternal pre-pregnancy hypertension may be associated with elevated ALT levels in the child, both in childhood and adolescence. These results suggest that maternal cardiometabolic health may play an important role in shaping the child’s long-term liver health. However, further studies are needed to confirm causal relationships.
Read more on Tampere university website and access the full scientific article for detailed findings.