Experiments involving sheep were used to investigate twin pregnancies and the effects of adjusting nutrition around the time of conception and early pregnancy were preformed.
[caption id="attachment_4590" align="alignright" width="253" caption="Mothers have to be careful when it comes to their diet."]
They found that there were changes in the genes that control food intake that may lead to obesity and diabetes. These findings are uncommon because the differences found in the genes are not inherited changes in the DNA sequence. These are epigenetic changes during pregnancy with alterations in the structure of the DNA that affects the way that genes present themselves.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/243627.php
These findings seem ironic in the fact that if the mother diets, their child has an increased risk of obesity. Mothers need to be cautious of what they eat and the amount. This can severely impact their child's life.
This article is very interesting in that we would never associate eating little to result in obese offspring. It would make sense today why there are so many obese children and why there has been sich a dramatic increase. Within the last decade, very thin women have become the idol "model," where as it used to be a normal healthy woman was ideal. Now, most women are afraid of gaining weight, and knowing that they are pregnant will soon increase their weight, they are more inclined to diet. Conception and gestation periods are very tempermental, and with this finding just proves it even further.
ReplyDelete