The FastDay Forum

[carorees]

Oh dear! Found this on the BBC News: Obesity problems may skip generation http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-e ... e-22780636

don't genetic traits do this quite often - seem to in crossbred farm animals for example.

There is quite a bit of research on this. In particular they've tracked women who survived the Dutch famine in world war 2 and their offspring. The famine lasted 6 months and for those who were pregnant or breastfeeding at the time or shortly after, their children and grandchildren have more obesity issues and diabetes than those who were born before the famine. Obviously you can't do this sort of long range research in controlled tests, but this was a known cohort with a specific time period of food restriction. And obviously since then there has been too much food available.

Basically the egg that becomes you is formed when your maternal grandmother is pregnant with your mother. The research says that if your grandmother had a poor diet before and during early pregnancy, then genes became primed to store fat in future generations since food is scarce and laying down fat is a good metabolic strategy for surviving when food might be scarce. There are animal models showing this too.

I think there is also a link with the male line too, it affects sperm epigenetics too, but it's not quite as strong as with the eggs. I think in the animal models they've shown it can go on into the fourth generation.

Very interesting. I wonder whether tendencies to cook with rich and abundant quantities get passed on through generations too. Recipes get passed on as something "my mother and grandmother did." I like to think that young adults now practising 5:2 as the norm in their lives will have that rubbed off on their children's consciousness! Restraint is in the air!!!
I do hope our grandchildren will stem the constant snacking trend, certainly fizzy drinks are out.