A high-fat diet during pregnancy alters gene function

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"As the study shows, a high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation leads to epigenetic changes in the offspring. These changes affect metabolic pathways regulated by the gut hormone GIP, whereby the adult offspring are more susceptible to obesity and insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes. Similar mechanisms cannot be ruled out in humans, according to Pfeiffer.

The lead authors Michael Kruse and Farnaz Keyhani-Nejad recently published the results in collaboration with researchers of Helmholtz Zentrum München in the journal Diabetes.
As scientists throughout the world observe, children of obese mothers have a higher risk of obesity and metabolic disorders. 

Recent findings suggest that diet-related epigenetic effects may also play a causal role in this. Since humans and mice are genetically very similar, many scientists use mouse models to study such relationships under controlled conditions. Such studies on humans are not possible.

This study focused on the epigenetic effects on the GIP-regulated metabolic pathways that are triggered by the maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation..."

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