Northerner
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Scientists believe they have shown exposure to certain chemicals in the womb can cause changes that are passed through generations.
There is no firm evidence of this in humans, but Washington State University research showed a clear effect in rats.
They isolated defects linked to kidney and ovary disease and even obesity.
The work implicates a class of chemicals found in certain plastics, as well as one found in jet fuel.
The idea of "epigenetics" - that parents do not just pass their genes to their children, but subtle differences in the way those genes operate - is one of the fastest growing areas of scientific study.
The work of Dr Michael Skinner centres around the effects that certain chemicals can have on these processes, if the female is exposed at key points during pregnancy.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21202026
There is no firm evidence of this in humans, but Washington State University research showed a clear effect in rats.
They isolated defects linked to kidney and ovary disease and even obesity.
The work implicates a class of chemicals found in certain plastics, as well as one found in jet fuel.
The idea of "epigenetics" - that parents do not just pass their genes to their children, but subtle differences in the way those genes operate - is one of the fastest growing areas of scientific study.
The work of Dr Michael Skinner centres around the effects that certain chemicals can have on these processes, if the female is exposed at key points during pregnancy.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21202026