Here’s one case where it’s good to take after Mom: Babies born to obese women who’ve dropped a voluminous amount of weight following bariatric weight loss surgery have fewer cardiovascular risk factors than siblings born before their moms had the operations, according to new research.
That’s because the weight loss and metabolic changes that occur following the surgery have a positive effect on inflammatory disease-related genes, according to a new study unveiled at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
What’s intriguing about the research is that when comparing the children of female bariatric surgery patients in these pre- and post-surgery samples, the researchers were able to find through extensive blood analysis that there were genetic differences in the two groups of children. They concluded the changes in the biological profiles of the children and their overall health were not simply a factor of their mother’s improved diet or a healthier post-surgical lifestyle.
The study is an exciting revelation from the cutting-edge field of epigenetics, which examines how genes can be switched on and off by environmental changes.