Poor nutrition in the womb
causes permanent genetic changes in the
offspring
Monday, April 13,
2009
The new science of epigenetics explains how genes can be modified
by the environment, and a prime result of epigenetic inquiry has
just been published online in The FASEB Journal: You are what your
mother did not eat during pregnancy. In the research report,
scientists from the University of Utah show that rat fetuses
receiving poor nutrition in the womb become genetically primed to
be born into an environment lacking proper nutrition. As a result
of this genetic adaptation, the rats were likely to grow to smaller
sizes than their normal counterparts. At the same time, they were
also at higher risk for a host of health problems throughout their
lives, such as diabetes, growth retardation, cardiovascular
disease, obesity, and neurodevelopmental delays, among others.
Although the study involved rats, the genes and cellular mechanisms
involved are the same as those in humans.
"Our study emphasizes that maternal–fetal health influences
multiple healthcare issues across generations," said Robert Lane,
professor of pediatric neonatology at the University of Utah, and
one of the senior researchers involved in the study. "To reduce
adult diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular
disease, we need to understand how the maternal–fetal environment
influences the health of offspring."
The scientists made this discovery through experiments involving
two groups of rats. The first group was normal. The second group
had the delivery of nutrients from their mothers' placentas
restricted in a way that is equivalent to preeclampsia. The rats
were examined right after birth and again at 21 days (21 days is
essentially a preadolescent rat) to measure the amount of a
protein, called IGF-1, that promotes normal development and growth
in rats and humans. They found that the lack of nutrients caused
the gene responsible for IGF-1 to significantly reduce the amount
of IGF-1 produced in the body before and after birth.
"The new 'epigenetics' has taught us how nature is changed by
nurture," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB
Journal. "The jury's in and, yes, expectant moms really are eating
for two. This study shows not only that we need to address problems
such as preeclampsia during pregnancy, but also that prenatal care
is far more important than anyone could have imagined a decade
ago."
###
Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology
Thanks to Federation of American
Societies for Experimental Biology for this article.