Pregnant women's cognitive appraisal of a natural disaster affects their children's BMI and central adiposity via DNA methylation: Project Ice Storm

We determined the extent to which DNA methylation mediates the effects of maternal cognitive appraisal of a natural disaster during pregnancy on offspring growth at age 13. Negative maternal cognitive appraisal predicted both lower BMI and central adiposity via DNA methylation of diabetes-related genes, suggesting a protective role of epigenetics.

Source: Early Human Development - October 5, 2016 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Lei Cao-Lei, Kelsey N. Dancause, Guillaume Elgbeili, David P. Laplante, Moshe Szyf, Suzanne King Source Type: research