Researchers atBaylor College of Medicinehave made a groundbreaking discovery - Overweight moms give birth to children who become even more overweight and who in turn have children who become even more overweight and so on and so on.
Damn!
Maybe I have been wrong all these years. Maybe our body composition isdetermined by our DNA.
Nope.
According tothis study, researchers found that by supplementing an obese mother’s diet with folic acid and other methyl supplements, they were able to reverse this form of inherited obesity.”
The Hypothesis
Lead researcher,Dr. Robert Waterland, designed this study to test the hypothesis that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy affects the body weight regulatory mechanisms in her offspring.
In layman’s terms, does a fat mom produce fat babies?
In regards to reversing this cycle of inherited obesity, Dr. Waterland believes that “DNA methylation may play an important role in the development of the hypothalamus (the region of the brain that regulates appetite).”
The Method
Waterland et al tested this hypothesis on three generations of genetically identical mice, all with the same genetic tendency to overeat. (agouti viable yellow [Avy] mice)
The mice were divided into two groups:
- Standard diet group
- Standard diet supplemented with folic acid, vitamin B12, betaine and choline. This special ‘methyl supplemented’ diet enhancesDNA methylation.
Sorry about that. You don’t have to worry about nerd terms like DNA methylation, there won’t be a test at the end of this post.
What they were attempting to do was to reduce or silence the effect that the inherited gene had over the development of the baby mice.
Can mice that are genetically predisposed to obesity be spared from a life of stretchy pants and motorized scooters?
The Results
The mice on the standard diet piled on the body-fat, as expected, and subsequent generations were progressively more obese.
Those on the methyl supplemented diet didnotgain weight through successive generations.
So what does this mean to me?
Well, according to Dr. Waterland, “the effect of methyl supplementation on body weight was independent of epigenetic changes at theAvylocus, indicating this model may have direct relevance to human transgenerational obesity”.
OR
This treatment could be safely adapted for human trials and could potentially provide a cure for inherited pediatric obesity.
Please note that this is one study, performed on mice. This doesn’t mean that moms-to-be should start mega-dosing supplements in order to produce babies with six packs.
Let the geeks do their work.
First come the scientific human trials. Then come the drug company trials. Then come the drugs and/or supplements.
.
If you like what you see here,click here for updatesorShare this Postwith the rest of the world.
Thanks in Advance.
Researchers atBaylor College of Medicinehave made a groundbreaking discovery - Overweight moms give birth to children who become even more overweight and who in turn have children who become even more overweight and so on and so on.
Damn!
Maybe I have been wrong all these years. Maybe our body composition isdetermined by our DNA.
Nope.
According tothis study, researchers found that by supplementing an obese mother’s diet with folic acid and other methyl supplements, they were able to reverse this form of inherited obesity.”
The Hypothesis
Lead researcher,Dr. Robert Waterland, designed this study to test the hypothesis that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy affects the body weight regulatory mechanisms in her offspring.
In layman’s terms, does a fat mom produce fat babies?
In regards to reversing this cycle of inherited obesity, Dr. Waterland believes that “DNA methylation may play an important role in the development of the hypothalamus (the region of the brain that regulates appetite).”
The Method
Waterland et al tested this hypothesis on three generations of genetically identical mice, all with the same genetic tendency to overeat. (agouti viable yellow [Avy] mice)
The mice were divided into two groups:
Sorry about that. You don’t have to worry about nerd terms like DNA methylation, there won’t be a test at the end of this post.
What they were attempting to do was to reduce or silence the effect that the inherited gene had over the development of the baby mice.
Can mice that are genetically predisposed to obesity be spared from a life of stretchy pants and motorized scooters?
The Results
The mice on the standard diet piled on the body-fat, as expected, and subsequent generations were progressively more obese.
Those on the methyl supplemented diet didnotgain weight through successive generations.
So what does this mean to me?
Well, according to Dr. Waterland, “the effect of methyl supplementation on body weight was independent of epigenetic changes at theAvylocus, indicating this model may have direct relevance to human transgenerational obesity”.
OR
This treatment could be safely adapted for human trials and could potentially provide a cure for inherited pediatric obesity.
Please note that this is one study, performed on mice. This doesn’t mean that moms-to-be should start mega-dosing supplements in order to produce babies with six packs.
Let the geeks do their work.
First come the scientific human trials. Then come the drug company trials. Then come the drugs and/or supplements.
.
If you like what you see here,click here for updatesorShare this Postwith the rest of the world.
Thanks in Advance.