Although research into foetal programming has been ongoing for years, little of this evidence has made it into main-stream. What is foetal programming? Foetal programming, also known as prenatal programming, is the theory that environmental cues experienced during foetal development play an important role in determining health trajectories across the lifespan of that child. The theory expounds on epigenetics which scientists have identified as factors influencing our genes. The term “epigenetics” as it derives from the Aristotelian word “epigenesis” implies that developmental changes are gradual and qualitative, but that there is a link to heredity. (19). Factors influencing epigenetic changes include environment, diet, lifestyle, and in fact, everything we are exposed to during our life – which commences from the moment of conception.
Foetal programming research is gaining increasing knowledge suggesting that both maternal and paternal unbalanced diet can have long-term implications on the health of their offspring. Since investigations into maternal nutrition as far back as the late 1980s, we have learned a great deal about the importance of nutrients during pregnancy and how these influence the health of the baby. Ongoing research is revealing more about how everything the mother is exposed to throughout pregnancy, from the moment of conception, influences the health of her child — not only at birth but throughout its entire life.
The role of the father beyond fertilisation of the egg is often underestimated. While viable sperm are required to fertilise the woman’s egg, the extent of exactly how healthy the sperm need to be remains largely unknown by the general public. A man’s diet and lifestyle impact hugely on the health of his sperm as well as the genetic information and reproductive instructions contained in them. Sperm’s reproductive capacity is not only affected a few weeks prior to fertilisation, but for up to 12 months. Everything the man consumes (food, alcohol, medication, drugs) and is exposed to (environmental toxins, chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, electromagnetic frequencies, stress, trauma) all influence the quality of his sperm.
What also influences the epigenetic changes of the child is paternal age where men over 35 have been associated with increased risk of birth defects in their offspring, particularly due to methylation changes.
Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy
Poor nutrition on the part of a pregnant woman has been linked to babies developing type 2 diabetes, coronary heart diseases, and obesity later in life. These conditions directly reflect attempts by the foetus to adapt to adverse conditions of under-nourishment. However, problems also arise if a woman’s diet is high in saturated fats during pregnancy resulting in insulin resistance, obesity and hypertension in adult offspring.
Simply taking supplements while consuming a nutrient-deficient diet will not remedy the above risks. Just like for the men, women’s actions and dietary/lifestyle choices impact the health of their eggs for up to 12 months prior to fertilisation.
If you are considering having a baby in the coming years, and the above information has triggered a few warnings in your mind, then my book: Conversations with my Daughter—How to Have a Healthy Baby is for you.
Source:
Vanhees K, Vonhögen IG, van Schooten FJ, Godschalk RW. You are what you eat, and so are your children: the impact of micronutrients on the epigenetic programming of offspring. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2014 Jan;71(2):271-85. doi: 10.1007/s00018-013-1427-9. Epub 2013 Jul 27. PMID: 23892892.