What women eat before conception can alter baby's genes: study
While it’s well known that pregnant women have to be vigilant about what they eat, a new study suggests that what women eat before conception can play a major role even after the baby is born.
Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study claims to provide strong evidence that a mother’s diet before pregnancy can permanently affect her child’s lifelong health by silencing certain genes.
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And what they found was that what women ate affected the process of gene expression in their babies -- specifically in a process called methylation, which is known for locking genes in the ‘off’ position.
The process of methylation -- which plays a crucial role in silencing gene expression -- is essential for cell differentiation and embryonic development.
A separate animal study, for instance, has shown that a female mouse's diet can change her offspring's coat color when DNA methylation is modified.
“Our ongoing research is yielding strong indications that the methylation machinery can be disrupted by nutrient deficiencies and that this can lead to disease,” explained co-author Andrew Prentice.
http://news.yahoo.com/women-eat-conception-alter-babys-genes-study-161656293.html
