Mom's fatty diet ups birth defect risk
Thu, Jul 07 2010
Adopting a diet rich in fat before and during pregnancy places the unborn at an increased risk of developing birth defects, a new study finds.

According to the study published in Human Molecular Genetics, expectant mothers who follow a high fat diet are more likely to give birth to a child with birth defects. Such a condition, however, was not reported in the genetically normal offspring of mothers who were on a high fat diet.

"These are very important findings as we have been able to show for the first time that gene-environment interactions can affect development of the embryo in the womb," said lead researcher Jamie Bentham.

The combination of high fat diet and the genetic defect affects the presence and the severity of certain birth defects such as congenital heart disease and cleft palate, the study found.

"We are excited by this as it suggests that congenital heart defects may be preventable by measures such as altering maternal diet," added Bentham, stressing that the congenital condition had long been linked to a positive history of diabetes or obesity in mother as well as deficiency in Cited2 -- a gene which aids the prevention of serious heart defects.

Scientists concluded that external factors such as a mother's diet may interact with genetic changes and place their babies at an increased risk of various health conditions. 
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