Children with obese parents are more likely to be overweight. A new study suggests that mothers' genes appear to be particularly important in determining their children's weight, EuroNews reported. 

Obesity is believed to be caused by a combination of hereditary factors. The genes passed on from parents to children influence appetite, satiety, metabolism, food cravings, body fat distribution, and more.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, shows that although children receive half of their DNA from each parent, the mother's genetics are more important when it comes to body mass index (BMI).

"Maternal genetics appear to play an important role in influencing a child's weight, even more so than the child's own genetics," said Liam Wright, lead author of the study and a researcher at University College London.

Wright's team analyzed genetic and health data from over 2,600 British families with children born in 2001 and 2002, tracking them from birth to age 17.

Access to the genes of both children and parents was key. This allowed researchers to identify both the genes that children inherited and the genes that parents did not pass on but which could still affect their children's health.

These indirect effects, called "genetic nurture," are important because they help shape how children grow, from conditions in the womb to parenting practices, the study authors say.

It found that the BMI of both parents is important for the weight of the child. But while the influence of fathers is almost entirely related to the genes they have passed on directly, the influence of mothers' BMI is greater.

This may be due to the fact that the mother's genes influence her own weight, eating habits, or activities during pregnancy, which in turn play a role in the child's development and health.

"In addition to the genes that mothers pass on directly, our findings suggest that maternal genetics play an important role in shaping the environment in which the child develops, and thus indirectly influence the child's body mass index (BMI)," Wright said.

"It's not about blaming mothers, but rather supporting families to achieve meaningful change in children's long-term health," he added.

Other studies show that fathers who were overweight or obese at the time of conception are more likely to have overweight children.

Efforts to help obese parents lose weight can have long-lasting effects on their children's health, according to the study's authors. | BGNES