Prenatal Nutrition

The food you chow down on can affect everything from their weight and taste preferences to their mental and physical health including asthma and allergies. Yep, even their disposition and behavior can be influenced by your menu choices. 

But wait, there’s more! It turns out that what you eat can actually reprogram their genes, like a superhero altering their superpowers. It’s called “epigenetics,” and it essentially means that certain genes can be turned “on” or “off” depending on the nutrients you consume, the chemicals you’re exposed to, your stress levels, and how active you are. 

How Can You Turn Genes On and Off?

There was an experiment done with mice many years back (cue tiny squeaks!). All the mama mice in this study had a gene, known as the “agouti” gene, that made them prone to be obese and yellow. So, naturally, you’d expect their babies to be chubby and yellow too, right? Wrong! Instead, it all came down to what the mice mamas ate during pregnancy. 

The mice chomping on their regular mouse kibble gave birth to pudgy, yellow little ones. But here’s the twist: The mice who enjoyed a diet packed with methyl groups (think choline, betaine, folate, and B12) gave birth to normal-weight, healthy, and brown babies. That’s right, the healthy diet actually turned off the obesity gene! 

It Works in Humans Too

And lest you think it’s only in mice, consider one of the most drastic, accidental experiments in human history. Back at the end of WWII, due to a combination of factors including an Allied blockade and harsh winter conditions, the Netherlands faced a serious shortage of food and resources known as The Dutch Hunger Winter, or the Dutch Famine of 1944-1945. 

As a result of the famine,  the Dutch population faced a major crisis with a shortage of food, and things got pretty tough. In fact, they had to get creative with what they ate, resorting to tulip bulbs, sugar beets, and other unconventional sources just to survive. Consequently, malnutrition became widespread, leading to severe health issues and deaths.

Pregnant Women (And Their Unborn Babies) Were Especially Vulnerable

Pregnant women were hit particularly hard, during the famine and their unborn babies suffered the consequences. Thanks to the famine, many of those babies were born with low birth weights and had to face all sorts of health challenges throughout their lives- higher instances of obesity, high TG’s, LDL cholesterol, higher instances of schizophrenia, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. 

This abrupt and intense accidental experiment became a notable case study for researchers studying the effects of maternal malnutrition on future generations, highlighting the importance of adequate nutrition during pregnancy. The unborn babies body’s remembered and always reflected the famine and the consequence of malnutrition.