The researchers have found a method that can explain why a poor diet during pregnancy may raise the risk of progeny developing diabetes in their later life. Type 2 diabetes is frequently linked to obesity, though several inheritable genes have also been associated with the condition.
The researchers from the University of Cambridge have come up with is a potential elucidation. They think an imbalanced diet in the expectant mother can compromise the long-standing functioning of a gene in the baby. The gene known as Hnf4a is believed to play a significant role in the development of the pancreas and in insulin production.
Due to complexities of testing the hypothesis in pregnant women, researchers fed mice a protein-deficient diet and they revealed a higher rate of Type 2 diabetes in the offspring of mice. The researchers stated that mice study indicated that an imbalanced diet in pregnant women can escort to the silencing of a gene in the baby.
The gene has been associated with insulin production. They also found that in offspring of mice the Hnf4a gene seemed to be switched off as mice aged. It can cause diabetes as well as linked back to motherly diet. The recent study focuses on epigenetic mechanisms which may affect is a gene is expressed or not.
Further studies have revealed that these alterations can be conceded crossways generations without any amendments to the core DNA. According to study author Dr Susan Ozanne from the University of Cambridge, further study would be required to establish if high-fat diets or other imbalanced diets had analogous consequences in mice.
She deems an analogous mechanism to those seen in mice study could arise in humans and the effects might be felt by more than just the immediate offspring. Having a healthy well-balanced diet any time in your life is important for your health.
But a healthy well-balanced diet during pregnancy is especially vital because of the impact on the baby in long-term and potentially even on the grandchildren as well, added Dr Ozanne, and reported the study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.