SALT LAKE CITY, April 15 (UPI) -- Children are affected by what their mother did not eat during her pregnancy, U.S. researchers say.
The study, published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, suggests some health risks passed across generations may be linked to poor nutrition in the womb.
The study involved rats, but the researchers say the genes and cellular mechanisms involved are the same as those in humans.
"Our study emphasizes that maternal-fetal health influences multiple healthcare issues across generations," senior researcher Robert Lane of the University of Utah says in a statement. "To reduce adult diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, we need to understand how the maternal-fetal environment influences the health of offspring."
The scientists found the rat fetuses having delivery of nutrients from their mothers' placentas restricted were more likely to be smaller and were at higher risk for a host of health problems than the control group of normal rats.
The amount of a growth-promoting protein -- IGF-1 -- was measured right after birth and again at 21 days. The gene responsible for IGF-1 significantly reduced the amount of IGF-1 produced in the body before and after birth in the group of rats lacking nutrients in the womb.
