SALT LAKE CITY — Can what you eat while pregnant determine your child's risk for obesity? New research says yes.
Researchers in New Zealand found that what a pregnant mother eats could actually alter the DNA of her baby.
The team measured the epigenetic state (the degree of chemical modification) of DNA in umbilical cord tissue from nearly 300 children and showed that this strongly predicted the degree of obesity at 6 or 9 years of age.
What surprised the researchers was the size of the effect — children vary in how fat they are, but measurement of the epigenetic change at birth allowed the researchers to predict 25 percent of this variation. This association is much stronger than explanations of obesity based on heredity and lifestyle, researchers said.
In addition, they found that the degree of epigenetic change at birth was strongly associated with the mother’s diet in the first trimester of pregnancy.
“The study demonstrates the importance of developmental factors before birth in the pathway to childhood obesity — and we already know that childhood obesity is an important predictor of later diabetes and heart disease,” Sir Peter Gluckman, a professor at the Liggins Institute at Auckland University.
The findings suggest moms-to-be should load up on carbohydrates like bread, rice and other grains in order to help their child avoid obesity and diabetes later in life.
Researchers think embryos that exist in a carb-poor environment anticipate they will be born into a situation where food is scare and stored fat is needed.
Their DNA and their bodies form accordingly, storing more fat for more energy, which can lead to obesity.
"This study provides the most compelling argument yet for giving greater weight to improving maternal and infant health as a means of reducing the burden of chronic disease. It is manifestly insufficient to focus on interventions in the adult alone,” Gluckman said.
Brandon Reynolds, an OBGYN with University of Utah Health Care called this study a near breakthrough.
"We don't have the full picture yet, but definitely looking at the genetics involved and the simple modification of diet, it could be really the breakthrough of the century," he said.
Farmers actually initiated this research. While feeding sheep herds, they found the amount of protein and carbs the animals ate affected the birth weight of lambs.
Researchers hope the study will lead to more specific diet recommendations for pregnant women.