title: Lifestyle, pregnancy and epigenetic effects.
abstract: Rapidly growing evidences link maternal lifestyle and prenatal factors with serious health consequences and diseases later in life. Extensive epidemiological studies have identified a number of factors such as diet, stress, gestational diabetes, exposure to tobacco and alcohol during gestation as influencing normal fetal development. In light of recent discoveries, epigenetic mechanisms such as alteration of DNA methylation, chromatin modifications and modulation of gene expression during gestation are believed to possibly account for various types of plasticity such as neural tube defects, autism spectrum disorder, congenital heart defects, oral clefts, allergies and cancer. The purpose of this article is to review a number of published studies to fill the gap in our understanding of how maternal lifestyle and intrauterine environment influence molecular modifications in the offspring, with an emphasis on epigenetic alterations. To support these associations, we highlighted laboratory studies of rodents and epidemiological studies of human based on sampling population cohorts.
authors: Structural Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Developmental Biochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, 1050 Forest Hill Road, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA.
authors: Subit
authors: S
authors: Barua
authors: Mohammed A
authors: MA
authors: Junaid
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000453:epidemiology; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors
keywords: DNA methylation; epigenetics; lifestyle; pregnancy