(NaturalNews) A study published April 29 in the journal Nature Communications has provided the first proof that a mother's diet can change the expression of genes in her unborn child. The study was conducted by researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) International Nutrition Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the MRC Unit in the Gambia.
"Our results represent the first demonstration in humans that a mother's nutritional well-being at the time of conception can change how her child's genes will be interpreted, with a life-long impact," senior author Branwen Hennig said.
The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the MRC.
Lifelong effects
The study was not able to determine what lifelong effects might result in the children with lower methylation rates.
"Our on-going research is yielding strong indications that the methylation machinery can be disrupted by nutrient deficiencies and that this can lead to disease," researcher Andrew Prentice said. "Our ultimate goal is to define an optimal diet for mothers-to-be that would prevent defects in the methylation process. Pre-conceptional folic acid is already used to prevent defects in embryos. Now our research is pointing towards the need for a cocktail of nutrients."
In addition to diet, prior studies have shown that exposure to toxins may also produce epigenetic changes in the offspring of pregnant women.
"The susceptibility persists long after the exposure is gone, even decades later. Glands, organs, and systems can be permanently altered," according to Linda S. Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and of the National Toxicology Program.
Sources for this article include:
Learn more:
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário