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Nutrition During Pregnancy and Its Transgenerational, Epigenetic Effects
By admin | June 2, 2006
Today Nature has published a news article highlighting the work of Dr. Rob Waterland of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Speaking at the Human Genome Organisation meeting in Helsinki, Finland, Dr. Waterland presented research showing that pregnant female mice that were fed a diet containing folic acid and vitamin B12 had pups that were obese. Folic acid and vitamin B12 were already known to affect the methylation pattern of the agouti gene, which can change the mouse coat color.
The researchers then decided to breed the obese, female offfspring of the mice that were fed the diet containing methyl-donating compounds such as folic acid, vitamin B12, betaine, and choline. The researchers hypothesized that the subsequent generations would decrease in weight with additional vitamin supplements in their diet, but they found the opposite: each subsequent generation was more obese than the previous. Dr. Waterland and his team have suggested that the cause may be methylation of an as-yet-unknown gene that may be causing the heritable change in body weight.
The study may have implications for pregnant mothers. Currently, expecting mothers are encouraged to take folic acid supplements because they reduce the chance of having a baby with neural tube defects such as spina bifida. In addition, the United States has mandated fortification of grains and flour with folic acid to increase levels of the compound in women. Further investigation is underway to determine if folic acid alone can cause these lasting effects, and whether they can be compared to folic acid consumption in humans. Link
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