Agent Orange And Epigenetic Effects In Offspring Of Fathers
Watching what you eat and drink isn’t just for moms-to-be anymore. New scientific evidence suggests that the father’s diet before conception might be just as important to a child’s health.
A study in mice linked nutritional deficiencies in paternal diet to a higher rate of birth defects compared with those whose fathers were fed a normal, well-rounded menu. The findings raise concerns about dads unknowingly passing on harmful traits through molecular markers on the DNA of their sperm.
These epigenetic markers don’t change the genetic information, but rather switch parts of the genome on and off. They are susceptible to environment and diet throughout fetal development, but were thought to be wiped clean before birth. New studies, including the one published online Tuesday in Nature Communications, have revealed that some of them may survive all the way from sperm to baby.
Agent Orange And Epigenetic Effects In Offspring Of Fathers
Watching what you eat and drink isn’t just for moms-to-be anymore. New scientific evidence suggests that the father’s diet before conception might be just as important to a child’s health.
A study in mice linked nutritional deficiencies in paternal diet to a higher rate of birth defects compared with those whose fathers were fed a normal, well-rounded menu. The findings raise concerns about dads unknowingly passing on harmful traits through molecular markers on the DNA of their sperm.
These epigenetic markers don’t change the genetic information, but rather switch parts of the genome on and off. They are susceptible to environment and diet throughout fetal development, but were thought to be wiped clean before birth. New studies, including the one published online Tuesday in Nature Communications, have revealed that some of them may survive all the way from sperm to baby.
Agent Orange And Epigenetic Effects In Offspring Of Fathers
Watching what you eat and drink isn’t just for moms-to-be anymore. New scientific evidence suggests that the father’s diet before conception might be just as important to a child’s health.
A study in mice linked nutritional deficiencies in paternal diet to a higher rate of birth defects compared with those whose fathers were fed a normal, well-rounded menu. The findings raise concerns about dads unknowingly passing on harmful traits through molecular markers on the DNA of their sperm.
These epigenetic markers don’t change the genetic information, but rather switch parts of the genome on and off. They are susceptible to environment and diet throughout fetal development, but were thought to be wiped clean before birth. New studies, including the one published online Tuesday in Nature Communications, have revealed that some of them may survive all the way from sperm to baby.
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These epigenet ic markers dont change t he genet ic inf ormat ion, but rat her swit ch part s of t he genome on and of f . They are suscept ible t o environment and diet t hroughout f et al development , but were t hought t o be wiped clean bef ore birt h. New st udies, including t he one published online Tuesday in Nat ure Communicat ions, have revealed t hat some of t hem may survive all t he way f rom sperm t o baby. When analyzing t he sperm epigenomes of t he low-nut rit ion mice, t he researchers f ound abnormalit ies in epigenet ic markers t hat af f ect ed genes linked t o development , neurological and psychological disorders and cert ain cancers. We should be looking caref ully at t he way a man is living his lif e, said st udy aut hor and reproduct ive biologist Sarah Kimmins of McGill Universit y. Environment al exposure is remembered in t he developing sperm and t ransmit t ed t o of f spring. Since it t akes human males about t hree mont hs t o produce f ully grown sperm f rom st em cells, Kimmins speculat es t hat men t rying t o have children could t ry cleaning up t heir diet s even t emporarily. If a man has been living a bad, unhealt hy lif est yle, he will not only improve his own healt h but t he healt h of his of f spring, she said. Scient ist s at McGill f ed male mice a diet cont aining less t han 15 percent of t he recommended amount of f olat e, ot herwise known as vit amin PDFmyURL.com B9. High doses of t he nut rient can be f ound nat urally in liver, spinach, brussels sprout s, asparagus and avocados. Kimmins chose f olat e because it can direct ly af f ect t he bodys abilit y t o produce epigenet ic markers. In 1998, t he Food and Drug Administ rat ion st art ed t o require makers of grain product s t o enrich breads, past as, rice and cereals wit h f olic acid, t he synt het ic f orm of B9. Most people in t he Unit ed St at es get enough of t he vit amin, but some groups such as younger women t end t o absorb less of it . Also, being overweight or consuming alcohol can cause t he body t o met abolize less f olat e. Babies of women who dont get enough f olat e are more likely t o have def ect s in t he neural t ube, a st ruct ure in embryos t hat lat er becomes t he brain and spinal cord. While it was known t hat low f olat e in males can af f ect t heir f ert ilit y, t hese f indings show a surprising associat ion wit h birt h def ect s. No one ever t hinks of birt h def ect s as coming f rom t he f at her if t hey arent genet ic, said Kimmins. Inst ead, t he f ocus t ends t o be ent irely on t he mot her and what she eat s and drinks because of t he shared nut rient s during pregnancy. This is becoming a really out dat ed way of t hinking, she said. One of every 33 children in t he Unit ed St at es is born wit h a birt h def ect , according t o t he Cent ers f or Disease Cont rol and Prevent ion, but most of t hose have an unknown, nongenet ic cause. Some scient ist s suggest t hat t he inherit ed layer of epigenet ic inf ormat ion could cont ribut e t o birt h def ect s. Kimmins and her colleagues set out t o discover whet her t hey could change t he inf ormat ion t ransmit t ed by sperm wit hout alt ering t he DNA it self , by t weaking only f ood int ake. Male mice in one group were f ed a f olat e-def icient diet f rom womb t o adult hood, because sperm cells st art t o f orm when pups are st ill in ut ero. The cont rol male mice, as well as t he f emales t hat bot h groups bred wit h, were kept on normal, well-balanced diet s. The f olat e-def icient f at hers had f ert ilit y issues, as expect ed, and t heir lit t ers had almost 30 percent more birt h def ect s t han t he cont rol groups. The birt h def ect s were quit e severe: club f oot , underdeveloped digit s, short ened jaws, webbing of t he digit s, Kimmins said. I didnt see any of t hat in t he cont rols. When analyzing t he sperm epigenome of t he mice, researchers f ound dif f erences bet ween t he t wo groups t hat af f ect ed genes linked t o development , t he nervous syst em and cancer. Kimmins is now working wit h f ert ilit y clinics t o gat her human dat a on pat ernal f olat e levels, obesit y, and t he sperm epigenome in order t o link t hem wit h reproduct ive success and child healt h. She expect s t he result s t o t ranslat e f rom mice t o men, because t hey are genet ically and epigenet ically very similar. Ohio Universit y endocrinologist Felicia Nowak called t he st udy a very nice piece of t he t ransgenerat ional epigenet ic puzzle. PDFmyURL.com Nowaks preliminary result s on mice f ed high-f at diet s reinf orce t he import ance of dads-t o-be wat ching what t hey eat . Male mice who noshed on t oo many f at t y f oods f at hered heavier pups wit h higher percent ages of body f at compared wit h t heir low-f at -diet count erpart s, even t hough all t he pups were kept on t he same healt hy diet . Kim is a freelance science journalist based in Philadelphia. The Washingt on Post Company PDFmyURL.com
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