Cover story: In utero exposure to a methyl-rich diet increases asthma risk
Illustration of the human fetal pulmonary and digestive systems. Hollingsworth and colleagues show that in utero exposure to a diet rich in methyl donors can enhance the development and severity of allergic airway disease in the offspring of mice (page 3462). Methylation studies identified specific genes that are under epigenetic control and may play a fundamental role in these events. These observations suggest that the increased prevalence of allergic asthma in humans may in part be related to increased perinatal dietary supplementation with methyl donors, of which one source is the prenatal vitamin folate.
Image credit: Photo Researchers Inc.