Pregnant women who regularly eat fast food, put the health of multiple future generations at risk of obesity.
New studies show that eating junk food during pregnancy increases the likelihood of problems with metabolism in children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. However, this risk remains high even if the offspring maintains a healthy diet.
It was found that the nutrition of the mother, even before pregnancy, can cause genetic anomalies that are passed to other generations. These genetic changes affect at least three generations, increasing the risk of obesity-related diseases, including diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular diseases.
According to experts, maternal obesity and its related problems with metabolism can be inherited through the mitochondria present in unfertilized oocytes. These cellular structures have their own set of genes and is inherited only from mothers and not fathers.
The obtained data showed that pregnant mice with metabolic syndrome can stream dysfunctional mitochondria through the female line for three generations. To reach their findings, the researchers gave the rodents foods that are high in fat and sugar for 6 weeks before conception.
