Negative Effects Of Plastic's Additive Blocked By Nutrient Supplements

OK This is geared toward pregnant people, which I am NOT right now, nor plan to be in the near future :) but I wish I was as interested in science articles as I am right now. It really isn't that hard to keep abreast of the latest findings and may potentially make new mothers-to-be more aware of their environment, which is always good for the baby. Anyway here goes an excerpt, it will be so tantalizing, that you will have to click on the link and read the rest!

"Science Daily — Experiments in animals have provided additional and tantalizing evidence that what a pregnant mother eats can make her offspring more susceptible to disease later in life.

This susceptibility is the result of a process that alters how a gene is expressed without actually changing or mutating the gene itself. Appreciation of this phenomenon has spawned a new avenue of genetic research known as epigenetics, a name which refers to changes happening over and above the gene sequence without altering its code.

In their most recent experiments, Duke University Medical Center investigators demonstrated that exposure within the womb to bisphenol A (BPA), an ubiquitous chemical used in the production of plastics, caused noticeable changes in the offspring without altering any of the offspring's genes. Additionally, the researchers discovered that administration of folic acid or genistein, an active ingredient in soy, during pregnancy protected the offspring from the negative effects of BPA.

In their experiments, the Duke team studied a well-documented strain of animals known as agouti mice. Normally, these mice tend to be slender and brown. While past epigenetic research at Duke has focused on nutrients given to pregnant agouti mice, the current experiments represented the first tests of a potential environmental toxin...." Full story here.