DOHaD research with populations in transition: a case study of prenatal diet remote recall with Yup’ik Alaskan women

Abstract

Maternal prenatal diet can exert a powerful influence on the health of children when they reach adulthood--an orienting phenomenon in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease research paradigm. Similar to other subsistence-based communities experiencing a rapid nutrition transition, obesity is increasing among Yup'ik Alaskans. Diabetes prevalence, however, remains relatively low and may reflect developmental nutritional processes that have yet to be thoroughly considered. Here we investigate recall of Yup'ik women's diets during a past pregnancy using a mixed-methods approach as a critical first step in exploring such alternative developmental hypotheses. For certain populations, retrospective dietary reports might be the only source of information on factors relevant to understanding developmental pathways to health and disease. Our analysis identified community-specific factors that will likely improve the accuracy of future retrospective dietary analyses investigating the role of prenatal nutrition in the developmental origins of metabolic disease, especially among Alaska Natives.

Interpretation of the hygiene and microflora hypothesis for allergic diseases through epigenetic epidemiology

“…Waterland & Michels [ 24 ] defined epigenetic epidemiology as ‘the study of the association between epigenetic variations and the risk of disease in humans’. Exposure factors that cause epigenetic variations include the lifestyle of parents, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and diet [ 25 ], and the exposure to various physical, chemical, biological, and social environments during early life [ 14 , 16 , 26 , 27 ]. The resulting diseases include allergies and autoimmune diseases, as well as various complex diseases such as cancer, diabetes mellutus, obesity, arteriosclerosis, autism, and mental diseases, et cetera [ 17 , 20 , 22 ].…”

A community survey on knowledge of the impact of environmental and epigenetic factors on health and disease

“…1,2 Parental lifestyle, for example, diet, smoking, drinking, obesity and exposure to endocrine disruptor chemicals, has been shown to modulate disease risk. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] It is thought that some of these developmental alterations come about through changes in the activity of genes through epigenetic processes. 10 The epigenetic code literally means 'above' the genome and does not affect the information recorded in DNA sequence.…”