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Nutrition during pregnancy will affect the health of the two generations that follow
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
A group of specialists, using laboratory mice as an example, showed that a woman's diet during pregnancy will affect the health of not only her children, but also her grandchildren. As it turned out, poor nutrition during pregnancy increases the risk of developing diabetes and obesity in the next two generations. Stress caused by the environment leads to changes in DNA, turning genes on and off. Most specialists assume that such changes can be inherited by sperm and eggs. This principle of inheritance is known as epigenetic.
For example, during World War II, nutrition was quite poor, and pregnant women could have genetic changes that increased the risk of cancer and diabetes in their children and grandchildren. To build a model of such an effect, a group of specialists at Cambridge University conducted an experiment with rodents. Scientists reduced the caloric content of mice by 50%, starting from the twelfth day of intrauterine development and ending with birth. As a result, newborn rodents had less weight and were predisposed to diabetes, despite the fact that after birth their diet was complete. In addition, scientists found that the offspring of males of the first generation of mice also had a predisposition to diabetes. After analyzing the sperm of rodents born to poorly nourished mothers, scientists determined that some changes had occurred in the functioning of genes. In addition, as a result of the research, it became known that a decrease in the degree of modification in 111 sections of DNA affects the health of rodents. Normally fed rodents produced offspring that showed no significant DNA changes, but the second generation began to show some problems.
In another study, scientists determined that addiction to unhealthy foods can cause changes in human DNA. As it turned out, poor nutrition can even affect future generations, and excessive consumption of unhealthy foods provokes cancer, inflammatory processes, infectious diseases, and allergies. At the same time, experts have found that poor nutrition disrupts the intestinal microflora.
Previous studies have shown that an unbalanced diet changes the bacterial composition of the body, which leads to a significant weakening of the immune system. Unhealthy eating is especially dangerous for residents of Western countries, and some experts believe that the epidemic of autoimmune diseases in Europe and the United States is associated with the prevalence of harmful products in the diet. At the same time, scientists note that probiotics and various vitamin supplements are not able to change the situation for the better.
According to experts, it is important to change your lifestyle and taste habits, give preference to healthy food. Otherwise, bacteria will gradually adapt to harmful products, which will cause genetic changes. Given the changes in the DNA structure, dangerous immune disorders can be transmitted to the next generation. Experts note that it is necessary to reduce the consumption of sugar and fat, while increasing the amount of protein due to meat and fish.