Mothers, Food and Genes

A mother’s diet alters genes
How well a mother eats before conceiving a child can alter her child’s genes. That’s the conclusion of a new study that looked at pregnant women in western Africa—where diets change radically with the seasons—to better understand what factors influence fetal DNA development, LiveScience.com reports. The study involved 84 Gambian women who had conceived at the peak of the rainy season, when more nutrient-packed, leafy green vegetables are consumed, and 83 who’d conceived at the peak of the dry season, when such foods are often scarce. Researchers measured nutrient concentrations in the women’s blood during pregnancy, then analyzed six genes in blood and hair samples taken from their babies. The infants conceived during rainy season had consistently higher rates of methylation—changes in DNA that can “silence” the expression of particular genes. Researchers also found that the lower the mother’s body mass index, the more methylation occurred. “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 lifelong impact,” says study author Branwen Hennig of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. But while scientists now know that pre-conception diet has a genetic impact, the functional consequences of the changes in gene behavior remain unknown.

I remember hearing about a study performed in Sweden, I believe, where the dietary intake of fathers impacted the obesity of their sons and grandsons. It was a very controlled group and the researchers studied the boys who developed their sex characteristics during a famine period or a feast period of years; those boys that did not have enough food passed on genes to their sons and grandsons that made them fatter than the boys who developed with plenty of nutrition around.

Pretty amazing what effect we can have on the health of our children as expressed in their genes.