Children had thousands of altered genes if their mothers smoked during pregnancy, according to new research. Photo: Photos.com
6600 children have participated in the international study in which researchers have looked at how early environmental factors can affect cell genome and gene expression, writes Dagens Nyheter.
the study shows that babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had several thousand chemically altered genes, which also affected gene activity. The changes also proved to be retained for the study of children in the age of eight.
– The genes with the strongest connection to smoking, we know are involved in including asthma, cancer and neuropsychiatric diseases. Several of the genes also have a strong connection to the negative effects we see of smoking in adults. Fetus partly for the same effects as an adult smokers, says Erik Melén, one of the researchers behind the study, told the newspaper.
If the chemical changes may underlie the development of diseases and deformities are the next step in the research. Another of the researchers behind the study, Stephanie London, gives an example:
“We already know that smoking is linked to cleft lip and palate but we do not know why. The methylation (chemical changes in DNA) might be involved in the process in any way, “she says in a press release.
the study is published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Back to Children’s Healthcare
No comments:
Post a Comment