Transgenerational Impact of Nutrition on Disease Risk

Abstract

Although the evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance from animal experiments is strong, there is very little evidence from human studies. The few studies in human populations that have been able to investigate several generations seem to suggest that transgenerational epigenetic inheritance occurs in humans as well and that this may occur both through the maternal and through the paternal line. We are only beginning to appreciate the generation‐spanning effects of poor environmental conditions during early life, which may be particularly relevant to populations in transition between traditional and Western lifestyles. This may shed light on the epidemic of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Public health strategies that focus on improved nutrition during critical periods of growth and development may provide a means of promoting cardiovascular and metabolic health and ultimately benefit generations to come. However, the full impact of the strategies may not be apparent for decades. Key Concepts: A popular definition of epigenetics states that it concerns the study of mitotically and/or meiotically heritable changes in gene expression that occur without a change in DNA sequence. Under this definition, epigenetic regulation has a role at two levels. First, it is involved in development, leading to the differentiation of cells in different tissues and organs and assuring the faithful inheritance of their differentiated state over mitotic cell divisions. Second, epigenetic states can be inherited meiotically, from one generation to the next. Transgenerational effects refer to effects being transmitted from one generation to another. Although some biologists consider all effects that concern both parents and offspring to be transgenerational, the author would like to distinguish transgenerational effects from parental and grandparental effects. In addition to contributing their DNA, parents can influence their offspring in many ways, for example, by contributing bioactive molecules in the egg and sperm cytoplasm, by providing nutrients and hormonal information during embryogenesis and by provisioning and taking care of offspring after birth. Many of these parental and grandparental effects will not have an epigenetic basis. In a pregnant woman, for instance, not only are the mother and foetus exposed to the environmental stimuli but also are exposed the foetus' primordial germ cells, which will eventually produce the grandoffspring. Transgenerational epigenetics is defined here as the study of the transfer of nongenetic information between organisms, setting it apart from the transfer of epigenetic information between cells of the same organism.

Understanding the importance of the early-life period for adult health: a systematic review

“…17,41 As illustrated by the brief glimpses into the lives of participants in the reviewed studies, many families may not have the capacity to prioritise or enact the lifestyle changes necessary to promote healthier long-term outcomes for their childrena situation that will ultimately lead to increasingly ingrained multi-generational inequity if preventive messaging is targeted solely at the family or maternal level, with the ability to access and act on DOHaD evidence a luxury available only to those possessing strong financial and social support. 42,43 Therefore a major consideration in effective translation of DOHaD knowledge is the need to emphasise the societal benefits of raising healthy children into healthy adults, establishing a strong connection between individual and collective achievement. 32,44 Educating policymakers and politicians as well as key stakeholders in education, health and community leadership as well as women and their families should be viewed as a strategic investment in the future of a healthy and productive society.…”

Epigenetics: from the past to the present

“…The study of non-genomic trait transmission from parents to progeny is known today as transgenerational epigenetics (Zhang et al 2013;Ho 2014;Uller 2014). One piece of evidence for transgenerational epigenetics in humans was the link between maternal weight and infant weight at birth that was observed in a British cohort of three generations (Hypponen et al 2004;Roseboom & Painter 2014). Nevertheless, for some authors an example of true transgenerational epigenetic inheritance has to demonstrate effects even in the fourth generation (F3) (Mitchell et al 2016).…”