Mothers’ Vitamin Intake Affects Gene Function in Offspring

A mother’s diet can influence how her unborn child’s genes behave. I’ve posted previously about rats born of mothers on high protein diets that were predisposed to insulin resistance and diabetes. The phenomenon is epigenetics in which the DNA sequence of genes is not changed but methyl groups are added on which affect gene function.

In a recent study of mice, researchers found that vitamin supplements such as folic acid and vitamin B12 led to heavier offspring. These vitamins are considered methyl donors and the methyl groups that attach to the mothers’ genes can be passed down to their offspring.

Dr. Rob Waterland asks:

This raises the question, can too many vitamins be bad for us?

Given these preliminary data, I think it is much too early to reconsider the use of folic acid by pregnant women as a means of preventing neural tube defects in their babies. But it does act as a reminder that anything in excess, including “good” vitamins, is probably unwise.

news@nature.com, June 2, 2006

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