Researchers are constantly studying pregnancy and how different lifestyles and choices impact the health of the mother and the child. A major focus is often on the food that a pregnant woman eats, whether it’s the quantity or the quality. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase,“You are what you eat,” and it’s never been more true. Recent research has led experts to believe that what you eat during your pregnancy, specifically junk food and how much of it you consume, can effect not only your daughter’s chances of getting breast cancer in the future, but her daughter’s chances as well. In effect, the brownie sundae is actually a wave that crashes through a total of three generations: you, your daughter, and your granddaughter.
Epigenetics
Epigenetics, the study of inherited changes in gene expression and their causes, offers an explanation for this phenomenon. Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center studied rats and the effects of a high fat diet during pregnancy. A high fat diet led to epigenetic changes, which then caused extra terminal end buds to grow in the breast tissue. These extra buds are linked to an increased risk for breast cancer, which is likely to develop in this type of tissue. Unfortunately it was found that these epigenetic changes were passed down two generations.
Live Well
There are so many other reasons to eat healthy during pregnancy, but this research offers yet another reason to swap that cookie for an apple. There is nothing wrong with occasional indulgences, of course. The key is balance, especially considering a certain amount of fat is essential to a healthy diet. It seems that lately more and more research has been pointing to the powerful impact that living a healthy lifestyle has on major killers like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Our lifestyles choices not only impact our own health, but that of our children as well. We should strive to eat well, sleep well, and move much throughout our lives, not just during pregnancy.