Factors before conception determine our good or bad health

Washington, Dec4 (UNI) The seeds of one's good or bad health are sown before conception, a new research shows.

According to the research, adult health-related disorders, particularly in males, could be beacaue of improper Vitamin B12 intake before conception.

Experts from the University of Nottingham suggested that improper intake of Vitamin B12 could lead to subtle modifications in the DNA which further lead to health disorders, the Science Daily reported today.

B Vitamins are involved in specific pathways which can influence chemical changes to DNA at the time of conception.

''If maternal diet is not properly balanced it can upset these processes during conception, it is a vulnerable period in mammalian development,'' one of the authors, Dr Sinclair said.

The research showed that adult offspring of sheep deprived of B Vitamins prior to conception were fatter, showed insulin resistance and had higher blood pressure than animals whose mothers ate a normal diet.

This was particularly marked in the adult male offspring.

The research show that male offspring of B-deprived mothers were 25 per cent fatter and had significantly higher blood pressure than offspring of sheep given a healthy diet.

''There is no effect on fertility, or birth weight and young offspring appear quite normal. However, sweeping changes to our DNA take place during conception and we now realise that this period is particularly vulnerable to environmental influences that can affect development and lead to chemical modifications that can make permanent alterations to gene expression,'' Dr Sinclair added.

B vitamins are found in natural foods such as red meat and green leafy vegetables.

UNI