CAN NUTRIENTS HAVE PERMANENT EFFECTS ON GENE EXPRESSION IF FED AT KEY PERIODS ?
Epidemiological studies suggest that a mother’s diet during pregnancy or the diet of an infant or young child could affect the prevalence of syndromes during adulthood, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular diseases. Foetal and neonatal life could represent key periods during which the effect of nutrients on gene expression would definitively modify the future of an individual. Hence, a high fat diet during childhood could lead to a massive differentiation of pre-adipocytes into adipocytes, laying the ground for potential future obesity.
