14 DAY TRIAL // In a new scientific study conducted on innocent mice, researchers have discovered that the eating habits of the mother rat considerably influence the genetic traits of its offspring, giving new meaning to the expression “a mother eats for two.” The find may notably influence doctors' pieces of advice to pregnant women, as the genetic similarities between humans and mice are striking. This is one of the main reasons why these animals are used to model the development of diseases in humans, as well as to figure out if a cure to a certain condition works or not.
“Our study emphasizes that maternal-fetal health influences multiple health care issues across generations. 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,” University of Utah Professor of Pediatric Neonatology Robert Lane explained, as quoted by LiveScience.
He also drew attention to the fact that the genes and cellular mechanisms involved in the mice study were very similar to our own, and therefore the study had relevance to humans as well.
“The jury's in and, yes, expectant moms really are eating for two. This study shows that prenatal care is far more important than anyone could have imagined a decade ago,” Dr. Gerald Weissmann, who is the editor-in-chief of the online journal FASEB, in which a paper detailing the recent finds was published this week, added. For example, the UU researchers say, a diet low on nutritional value during pregnancy will trigger genetic modifications that will ensure the newborn baby is primed to live in an environment where foods have low nutritional values as well.
According to the scientists, the offspring of mice that were fed poor diets were significantly more prone to developing a wide array of medical conditions in their lives, including heart diseases, neurodevelopmental delays, as well as diabetes and obesity.
A large number of such diseases is now wreaking havoc in the human population as well, and experts will begin to search for connections between the ways mothers eat when pregnant and the incidence of obesity cases in their children. Naturally, this will be a long-term study, perhaps spanning decades, and the results will be visible in a long time from now.