The Effects of the Dutch Famine on the Unborn

World War II resulted in the Dutch Famine of 1944 to 1945 that killed over 20,000 people. But those who survived were of interest to scientists, especially pregnant woman. This study aimed to understand how low levels of nutrients in the fetal stage can affect human health throughout their lives. Scientists studied the babies of these woman, finding that as adults they were on average heavier, experienced obesity and diabetes at higher rates, and had higher levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. They also died at higher rates compared to babies born before or after the famine.

Geneticists hypothesized that while in the utero, certain genes were “silenced” meaning that they ceased to be expressed. These genes remained silent for the remainder of the individual's life. Scientist’s proposed this occurs when either the cell is exposed to a virus or have been impacted by the amount of methyl groups surrounding the gene.

Access to advanced technology led Dr.Lumey and his team to conclude a connection between methyl groups and the famine and health conditions. They proposed the idea that a methyl group linked to higher body mass index led to the failure of expressing the gene PIM3 which is responsible for burning the body’s fuel. Other cells were tested including muscle, fat and tissue cells, proving the pattern to be fairly consistent. A scientist from Princeton, Dr. Conley, discusses a different reasoning for the results. He believes that as one ages and becomes overweight, this may contribute to the lack of expression in the PIM3 gene.

Understanding epigenetic profiles continue to be of importance on the impact of stress on children health. But of course, this type of observational experiment can not be repeated. Thus scientists must continue to observe this pattern using animal test subjects. While human subjects may appear to be the best approach, it’s extremely unethical and often unreliable. Since scientists are unable to isolate certain variables and control others, it is difficult to discern what causes a certain gene to become expressed. It is much easier to test animals in a controlled environment leading to much more accurate results.

Links:
https://www.nidi.knaw.nl/shared/content/output/2013/lumey-2013-nutrition-health-famine.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/31/science/dutch-famine-genes.html

People Conceived During Dutch Famine have Altered DNA

In the article I read it tells about the Dutch Famine and how people conceived during the famine have altered DNA. The Dutch Famine was during the winter of 1944 in the Netherlands and lasted about 6 months. What they found was that kids who were conceived during the famine, but not born, were born a normal weight! According to researchers, these babies growth genes were altered while in the womb. However, it seems as if now the children conceived during this time are at high risk for metabolic diseases. Researchers in the field of epigenetics tested the DNA of same sexed siblings, one being exposed and one being non-exposed to the famine. Their results showed different gene activity settings and that the siblings exposed to the famines genes were altered for life. What this told researchers was, that environmental factors during development are very significant to the offspring's life.

 

This article truly amazed me! It is amazing to me what DNA can do and how your body can adapt to so many different things, science truly is amazing. The DNA altered itself before the body was even developed all because of the environment, I never realized how much of an affect the environment had on life. Also, I had never heard of epigenetics before and it seems like a very interesting field that I would love to learn more about.