Eating Habits before Pregnancy has a Role in Children's Health

Women are advised to follow a healthy diet during pregnancy to have a healthy baby. However, according to a new study, what the mother ate before conceiving the child also matters.

Dr. Mihai Niculescu and colleagues conducted experiments on mice and found the eating habits of the mother before pregnancy bringing in chemical changes in her DNA and later transferred to her children.

Findings of the study published in FASEB Journal are expected to help future studies that explore diabetes, obesity, cancer and immune disorders.

"As parents, we have to understand better that our responsibilities to our children are not only of a social, economical, or educational nature, but that our own biological status can contribute to the fate of our children, and this effect can be long-lasting," said Dr. Mihai Niculescu, study author from Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina, in a news release. "My hope is that, along with many other scientists, we will reveal this tight biological relationship between us as parents, and our children, and how we can improve the lives of our children using our own biological machinery."

For the study, the researchers created two groups of mice (non-pregnant). Of the two groups, one received a control diet and another deficient in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). These female mice were later bred with male mice, following a control diet. After giving birth, the first two groups were again split into two groups and were provided with a flaxseed oil supplemented diet, rich in ALA. The other halves of the groups continued the same diet.

Investigators further tested the blood and liver to measure the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels. They also checked Fads2, DNA methylation of a gene that plays an important role in PUFA metabolism.

Findings showed pups inheriting the methylation gene from their moms and their capacity to transform PUFAs depending on the mother's diet, maternal methylation status and Fads2.

According to the experts, these findings show the importance of a healthy diet in building up healthy generations.

"New York City may be laughed at by some for banning large, sugary sodas and for encouraging a healthy diet," said Gerald Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "This report shows that future generations might not find that funny at all. This report adds to the large body of evidence that an inappropriate diet can produce changes in the function of our DNA and the DNA of our children-a process called epigenetics. As we begin understand the effects of diet on epigenetics, New York may go from being considered a funny 'nanny-state' to becoming appreciated as a public health visionary."