The mother's diet affects her body

Giving rats a nutrient-rich diet when they are pregnant can change skin color at least two generations in a row, a recent study suggests.

Scientists at the Oakland Research Institute, Children's Hospital in California (USA) created a group of female mice with the same genetic structure by biological engineering. They all have AVY - a gene that regulates the yellow color of the coat.

Half of the mice (group 1) were fed a nutrient-rich diet, such as vitamin B12 and zinc, to promote the production of chemical compounds belonging to the methyl group. It is thought that these compounds have the ability to catch " silent " genes, ie not expressing traits. The remaining rats (group 2) used standard diets. After that, all of them were mated with male mice. Their diet is preserved during pregnancy.

The two left mice have yellow hairs due to the AVY gene being activated, and the 3 to the right have dark brown hairs because the AVY gene is " mute ". (Photo: Newscientist)

The results showed that most of the children of group 2 had yellow hair. But the majority of the mice 's mice have dark brown feathers.

Tested in the second generation

When group 2 mice (fed standard diets) conceived for the second time, experts divided them into two small groups. One group used nutrient-rich foods during pregnancy, while others continued to use the standard diet.

The following mice are nourished by the standard diet until adulthood. They are then mated to create the second generation.

The results showed that the mice using the nutrient-rich diet produced a dark brown color, while the other group still inherited the yellow fur.

" This shows that maternal nutritional conditions during pregnancy can affect not only a child, but also his whole life ," said Kenneth Beckman, a member of the research team.

Beckman emphasized that the AVY gene is linked to the risk of obesity and diabetes. There has been some evidence that it is possible for a gene to regulate human skin color, like the AVY gene in mice. But it is unclear whether the gene affects weight.

A previous study in Sweden found that a young person is 4 times more likely to develop diabetes if his grandfather has a nutritious diet when he was a child.

Tests on mice showed that animals not only inherited genes from their parents, but also inherited orders for genes. Gene will not show a trait without receiving an order. In addition, there are chemicals in the body that can prevent the process of receiving the gene, causing them to " dive " and not show their traits.

Viet Linh