Posted Aug 15, 2013
Today we put considerable pressure on pregnant women to eat well and to live a healthy life style. In recent decades, the effects of maternal nutrition at the time of conception on long-term child health have been well documented. But Dr. Adam Watkins and his School of Biosciences team at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, have shown that the nutrition of the father could also have an influence on the health of offspring.
The researchers studied the effects of parental diet on mice using in vitro assisted reproduction techniques and embryo transfer. When the mother was fed a low protein diet, the offspring developed hypertension, elevated adiposity, and altered behavior. And when the father was fed with the same diet, offspring developed hypotension and impaired glucose tolerance (precursor symptom of diabetes). This remarkable finding indicates that the nutrition of both parents contributes to the health of their offspring.
Dr. Adam Watkins, an internationally renowned scientist, will present his results at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction at the Palais des congres de Montreal.
For more information: http://www.ssr.org
About the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)
The SSR’s purpose is to promote the study of the biological and medical aspects of fertility and reproduction by fostering interdisciplinary communication. It holds an annual conference and publishes the journal Biology of Reproduction on a monthly basis.
SOURCE Cooperative Molotov Communications
Canada Newswire