Maternal diet and Type 2 risk
How does diet during lactation or weaning determine long term regulation of insulin sensitivity? The role of epigenetic remodelling.
- Professor Simon Langley-Evans of the University of Nottingham
- £7,444; 6-month small grant
- May 2012 – November 2012
Background to project
A poor maternal diet during pregnancy, lactation and weaning (such as eating too little protein or eating too much energy-rich food) places children at a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes in adult life. As obesity among pregnant women is increasing, it is important to improve understanding of the exact mechanisms that lead to this increased risk. These mechanisms are poorly understood, but many researchers believe that maternal diet can reset markers on their child’s DNA which modify how inherited genetic material is expressed in their cells and tissues.
Project aims
This investigation will use liver samples from rats to work out how a maternal diet rich in energy, fat and sugar during breast-feeding results in long-term changes to the production of proteins that regulate metabolism and the uptake of glucose into the liver in offspring. The researchers will measure the production of four proteins that regulate metabolism and insulin signalling and work out whether this is altered due to changes in the markers on DNA.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
This research will provide the foundations for a larger and more thorough assessment of changes in the markers found on DNA as a result of maternal diet. In 5-10 years this could contribute to new diets to help prevent diabetes as well as the development of new treatment strategies for the future.