Development of a Functional Food Security for Parents for Transgenerational Epigenetic Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Among Offspring

Abstract

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have become a worldwide problem due food security and lack of physical activity. The rapid increase may be due to interaction of genes/memes and environment, having adverse effects on the epigenome. A new package of nutrient-rich functional foods (FFs) or a package of micronutrients (based on healthy foods) and egg or soy bean milk, may protect against epigenetic inheritance, which is probably a safe strategy for protection from diseases. Methods: Discussion with colleagues in this field and website search. Results: Recent studies indicate that Mediterranean-style foods and multiple micronutrients are inversely associated with risk of NCDs; cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity later in adult life. Recommendations by UNICEF/WHO/UNU for pregnant women include 15 micronutrients likely to be administered during the antenatal period. Micronutrients supplementation is required in three different conditions, namely, nonpregnant, pregnant, and lactating women. As Mediterranean-style diets are rich in FFs, administration of these foods during pregnancy provides most of the aforementioned nutrients, which may be beneficial to mothers, as well as the fetus and offspring. A significant increase in body length was observed on administering a high-fat diet to pregnant mice, which remained across two generations of offspring. It could be an epigenetic inheritance of a growth-related factor in the offspring, reflecting reduced insulin sensitivity across two generations, and also providing a proof of epigenetic alterations in gene expression via altered tertiary structure of a DNA strand, without altering the DNA sequence. Conclusions: This approach may cause health promotion and disease prevention in the next generation. The idea of FF security for global health is important and practical. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.