Child’s genes influenced by mother’s diet

A new study, published in Nature Communications has revealed that a mother’s diet before conception has been linked to how her child’s genes function. Epigenetics is defined as environmental change which impact on gene expression. In other words environmental factors affecting the mother cause epigenetic changes to their child’s DNA, switching certain genes on and off through DNA methylation. The modification involves tagging gene regions with chemical compounds called methyl groups and results in silencing the genes.

The researchers used a study group in Gambia consisting of pregnant mothers who conceived at the peak of the rainy season and peak of …read more