(Ivanhoe Newswire) – There may be a reason Americans keep getting heavier
from generation to generation.
A new study from Baylor College of Medicine shows when overweight female mice
give birth, their offspring is even more overweight – a change that may be
linked to genetics.
“One hypothesis is that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy affects the
establishment of body weight regulatory mechanisms in her baby,” lead author Dr.
Robert A. Waterland, Baylor College of Medicine, was quoted as saying. “Maternal
obesity could promote obesity in the next generation.”
Researchers looked at the impact of maternal obesity in three generations of
mice that were genetically identical – all had the same genetic tendency to
overeat. One group had a standard diet; the others had a diet supplemented with
folic acid, vitamin B12, betaine and choline. This so-called ‘methyl
supplemented’ diet enhances DNA methylation, a chemical reaction that silences
genes.
Results show mice on the regular diet became fatter with each generation while
those in the supplemented group did not.
Researchers believe DNA methylation may play an important role in the
development of the hypothalamus – the area of the brain that regulates appetite.
SOURCE: International Journal of Obesity, 2008
