Jakarta –
Who would have thought that what we eat today can affect our children and grandchildren in the future. A new study of animal gestation adds to evidence that the mother’s environment can influence the metabolism of her offspring in the long term.
The study of this intergenerational effect was first observed in 1909 in young silkworms. The study found that the parents’ environment can influence the behavior of their offspring.
The behavior of the silkworms in the study during winter did not stem from any specifically inherited genes, but arose from how their bodies read these genes or turned them on or off as regulated by their parents’ environment.
Since then, processes of epigenetic change have been observed in many animal species, including humans. However, how they cross the line between generations has not been known for certain until now.
Food Provides Brain Protection in Offspring
A study conducted by researchers at Monash University, Australia found that female silkworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) provide their children and grandchildren with additional brain protection when eating certain types of food.
Although this study was not conducted in humans, Caenorhabditis elegans has many genes that are similar to our species. This provides interesting insights into how epigenetic change might work naturally around the world.
However, Caenorhabditis elegans is an oviparous animal, meaning that the eggs hatch after being fertilized. It is not yet clear whether the results of this study apply to viviparous animals, such as mammals that reproduce by giving birth.
If germ cells, such as eggs or sperm in the uterus are changed by the mother’s diet, research shows that the process can cause offspring to do better or worse, as quoted from page Science Alert.
When researchers gave roundworm larvae a molecule commonly found in apples and medicinal herbs, called ursolic acid, they saw that the offspring were slightly protected from natural damage in neural communication.
Ursolic acid appears to activate a gene in worms that makes a certain type of fat, namely sphingosine-1-phosphate, also known as sphingolipid.
The fat will prevent the axons of the neurons in the brain from weakening. Preliminary results suggest that this fat can also pass from the mother worm’s intestines to the eggs in the uterus.
Influence on Metabolism
In the worm offspring, researchers found that increased levels of certain sphingolipids caused significant metabolic changes. Additionally, this is also maintained throughout development and for other incremental generations.
“This is the first time fat has been shown to be inherited,” said biomedical researcher Roger Pocock of Monash.
“Furthermore, feeding the mother sphingolipid protects the axons of the next two generations. This means the mother’s diet can influence not only the brains of her offspring but also those of the next generation. Our research supports a healthy diet during pregnancy for optimal brain development and health,” he added.
US epigenetics, Nicholas Burton reveals epidemiological studies in humans do show that low birth weight can be caused by malnutrition during pregnancy.
This can increase the risk of offspring developing metabolic problems in the future, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
“Study of model organisms like C. elegans can pave the way for many new discoveries about how and why animals link the metabolism of mothers and offspring,” said Burton.
Watch the video “Single Stalls, Serve Delicious Food Without Making Your Wallet Dry”
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2023-08-15 23:30:00
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