Obese mothers are five times more likely to have an obese adult daughter than mums of normal weight, says a study.
It also found a four-fold increase in the obesity rates of women who became pregnant in 1982-1988 and their daughters who became pregnant in 2000-2008.
"These findings add to the international evidence for a worsening intergenerational cycle of obesity," says Dr José Derraik from the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland.
Researchers from the university and Sweden's Uppsala University analysed early pregnancy data of 26,561 Swedish mother-and-daughter pairs.
Overweight mothers were nearly three times more likely than normal-weight mothers to have a first-born daughter who would become obese as an adult, while the rate jumped to five times for obese mothers.
Just over three per cent of the women entering pregnancy in 1982-1988 were obese, while 12.3 per cent of their daughters were when they became pregnant in 2000-2008.
"There is overwhelming evidence that maternal pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity adversely affects the long-term health of the offspring," said the researchers.
The rise in obesity rates could be partly explained by the so-called "obesogenic environment" where family diet and lifestyle could be fostering the development of obesity among daughters.
The researchers also said obese mothers may be providing too much nutrition to their babies during gestation leading to the offspring becoming adapted to storing more fat.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
