A new study shows that inheritance may be the cause for the rise
in diabetes in the U.S. Scientists are studying additional forms
of inheritance, besides DNA, like metabolic programming, which
can occur in the womb or shortly after birth, and causes
permanent changes in metabolism. Researchers in the study looked
at mice with diets high in saturated fat and studied the results
in the mice and their offspring. They found that a high-fat diet
brought on type 2 diabetes in the adult mice. If a pregnant
female mouse stayed on a high-fat diet, their offspring had a
greater chance of developing diabetes, even when given a
moderate-fat diet. Researchers say that these studies have only
been tested on mice, so there’s no further reason as of yet to
warn mothers to eat differently during pregnancy. Even mated
with healthy mice, the next generation offspring could develop
diabetes as well. This study was published in the September
issue of the Journal of Lipid Research. Source: Journal of Lipid
Research