My wife is currently powering through
her third pregnancy, and throughout each one I have become increasingly more
interested in the effects of women’s health choices on their children. Some
health choices, such as drug use, smoking, and alcohol consumption, carry with
them obvious risks. But how do less extreme health choices, such as diet,
affect a child in utero and after birth?
Charles Q. Choi wrote a fascinating article in which he cites
several studies conducted on pregnant women in Africa and Europe that explore
the effects of their pre-delivery diets on the genetic expression of their offspring.
In the first cited study, scientists studied a sample of women in The Gambia in
western Africa who experience major diet changes throughout their pregnancies
due to the region’s dry and rainy seasons. The dry season requires hard farm
labor, and the food stores gradually dwindle throughout the season. Staples
such as rice, millet (a type of grain), peanuts, and cassava are commonly eaten
during this time of year. Once the rainy season arrives, however, and the food
stores are empty, villagers must turn to leafy green vegetables for nutrition.
This diet is high in folate, which is an important nutrient to consume during
pregnancy.
Researchers conducted studies on 84 pregnant women who
delivered children during the peak of the rainy season and 83 who delivered
during the peak of the dry season. Their focus was two-fold: 1) They studied
the concentration of nutrients in the blood of the mothers and 2) analyzed six
specific genes in the new infants within 2-8 months of birth. The researchers
made some fascinating discoveries! They found that in all six genes, the
infants born during the rainy season showed consistently higher rates of
methylation in their DNA than those of their dry-season counterparts. DNA
methylation is an epigenetic modification in DNA that affects gene regulation. Researchers
believe that the methylation of infants’ DNA is linked to the nutrient levels
found in the mothers’ blood. Of this discovery, Branwen Hennig, a senior study
author at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said, "Our
results represent the first demonstration in humans that a mother's nutritional
well-being at the time of conception can change how her child's genes will be
interpreted, with a lifelong impact.”
Similar studies on animals suggest that environmental
influences prior to conception, such as diet, can affect the genetic expression
seen in offspring. In the case of a study conducted on mice in 2003, it was
discovered that a female’s diet could change the coat color of her offspring by
permanently changing methylation of their DNA. Past research suggests that
these epigenetic effects occur in human development, as well. For example,
whether or not Dutch women endured post-World War II famines seemed to
influence how fat or skinny their children were later in life. These examples, however,
do not provide concrete proof that DNA changes occur in offspring as a result
of the mother’s diet. "It's also important to note that their diet wasn't
the only thing that changed,” Robert Waterland, a nutritional epigeneticist at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, commented. “There was more physical
activity due to farm labor during the rainy season, which contributed to weight
loss during the rainy season and regaining of weight during the dry season. Such
changes contribute to what nutrients are circulating within the women."
Though the long-term effects of these epigenetic changes are
still unknown, researchers are hoping to learn what regions of the human genome
are affected by diet before and during pregnancy and what role such changes may
have in disease. The overarching goal of this research is to determine the best
diet for expectant mothers that will provide necessary nutrients for babies in
utero and prevent defects in the methylation process. This knowledge could have
a tremendous impact on the health of future generations!
As a father, I am deeply concerned about the health and
well-being of my children. Children in utero are especially vulnerable and are
completely dependent on the health choices of their mothers. I wonder how many
of the health problems children struggle with today could be the result of a
severe lack of essential nutrients during their growth and development in the
womb. Could issues such as ADD, ADHD, obesity, addictive behaviors, etc. be the
consequence of mothers’ diet choices? If diet has such powerful effects on the
health of grown humans, how much greater does a mother’s diet influence her
child’s health after birth?
I know from personal experience that when one’s diet is not healthy,
more health problems, like illness and injury, result. My mood and self-confidence
are even affected by the substances I put into my body! Therefore, it stands to
reason that the dieting choices women make before and during pregnancy directly
affect the physical health and resilience of their children. I also believe
that these affects can be long-lasting, perhaps throughout a child’s lifetime. It
seems apparent to me that a common thread connecting individuals and families
with a history of health problems is a poor and unbalanced diet. While this
factor is often the result of poverty, I think that many of these health
challenges are a consequence of the nutrient-deprived diets of mothers for generations.
Mothers have a great deal to worry about before, during, and
after pregnancies. My wife certainly feels a weight of responsibility on her
shoulders to do everything she can to ensure that our growing baby is healthy. While
concrete scientific evidence may not support this idea, I am confident that
women who prioritize implementing a healthy, balanced diet as they prepare for
and endure pregnancy have a lasting positive impact on the growth and
development of their children, both during the pregnancy and long after birth.
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