title: Role of maternal vitamins in programming health and chronic disease.
abstract: Vitamin consumption prior to and during pregnancy has increased as a result of proactive recommendations by health professionals, wide availability of vitamin supplements, and liberal food-fortification policies. Folic acid, alone or in combination with other B vitamins, is the most recommended vitamin consumed during pregnancy because deficiency of this vitamin leads to birth defects in the infant. Folic acid and other B vitamins are also integral components of biochemical processes that are essential to the development of regulatory systems that control the ability of the offspring to adapt to the external environment. Although few human studies have investigated the lasting effects of high vitamin intakes during pregnancy, animal models have shown that excess vitamin supplementation during gestation is associated with negative metabolic effects in both the mothers and their offspring. This research from animal models, combined with the recognition that epigenetic regulation of gene expression is plastic, provides evidence for further examination of these relationships in the later life of pregnant women and their children.
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pannia
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Clara E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ruslan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kubant
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Hernández
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Pedro S P
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Huot
authors.affiliation: E. Pannia, C.E. Cho, R. Kubant, D. Sánchez-Hernández, P.S.P. Huot, and G.H. Anderson are with the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. G.H. Anderson is with the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. harvey.anderson@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harvey Anderson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006801:Humans; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011247:Pregnancy; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins
keywords: folic acid; methyl vitamins; postpartum obesity; pregnancy; vitamins.