Bajinka, O.; Barrow, A.; Mendy, S.; Jallow, B.J.J.; Jallow, J.; Barrow, S.; Bah, O.; Camara, S.; Colley, M.L.; Nyabally, S.; Joof, A.N.; Qi, M.; Tan, Y. The Influence of Parental Environmental Exposure and Nutrient Restriction on the Early Life of Offspring Growth in Gambia—A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2022, 19, 13045.
Bajinka, O.; Barrow, A.; Mendy, S.; Jallow, B.J.J.; Jallow, J.; Barrow, S.; Bah, O.; Camara, S.; Colley, M.L.; Nyabally, S.; Joof, A.N.; Qi, M.; Tan, Y. The Influence of Parental Environmental Exposure and Nutrient Restriction on the Early Life of Offspring Growth in Gambia—A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13045.
Bajinka, O.; Barrow, A.; Mendy, S.; Jallow, B.J.J.; Jallow, J.; Barrow, S.; Bah, O.; Camara, S.; Colley, M.L.; Nyabally, S.; Joof, A.N.; Qi, M.; Tan, Y. The Influence of Parental Environmental Exposure and Nutrient Restriction on the Early Life of Offspring Growth in Gambia—A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2022, 19, 13045.
Bajinka, O.; Barrow, A.; Mendy, S.; Jallow, B.J.J.; Jallow, J.; Barrow, S.; Bah, O.; Camara, S.; Colley, M.L.; Nyabally, S.; Joof, A.N.; Qi, M.; Tan, Y. The Influence of Parental Environmental Exposure and Nutrient Restriction on the Early Life of Offspring Growth in Gambia—A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13045.
Abstract
Background: The trends in the role of the germline in epigenetic transgenerational inheritance starts with the environmental factors acting on the first generation of a gestating mother. These factors influence the developing second-generation fetus by altering gonadal development, thereby reprogramming the primordial germ cell DNA methylation and leading to consequences that would be seen along generations. Objective: Despite these epigenetic factors now surfacing, the few available studies are on animal-based experiments and to make follow up on human intergenerational trials might take decades. To this response, this study aimed to determine the influence of parental energy, toxicant exposure, age and nutrient restriction on the early life of offspring growth in Gambia. Method: The study was on population-based observational study on parental energy influence, toxicant exposure, age, and nutrient restriction on offspring growth in Gambia. Results: This study showed that parents who worked in industrial areas were more likely to have offspring with poor psychosocial skills. In addition, mothers who are exposed to oxidative stress and high temperature are more likely to have offspring with poor psychosocial skills. Mothers who consumed a high protein diet were almost three more likely to have infants with good psychosocial skills in their offspring. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between maternal stress during pregnancy and psychosocial skills of offspring. Conclusion: This study was able ascertain if maternal diet during gestation, toxicant exposure, maternal stress and parental smoking habits have influence on the early life of offspring. While the study is recommending a large sample size study to eliminate selection bias, there should be an increased level of awareness of mothers on their offspring's health and their husbands' lifestyles that might influence the adulthood health of offspring.
Keywords
Epigenetics; Toxicant exposure; Maternal stress; Parental smoking; Offspring health
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.