"We found that exposure to a high-fat diet before birth modifies gene expression in the livers of offspring so they are more likely to overproduce glucose , which can cause early insulin resistance and diabetes," said Yuan-Xiang Pan, a U of I professor of nutrition.
The high-fat diet that caused these changes was a typical Western diet that contained 45 percent fat, which is not at all unusual, he said.
"In recent years, the American diet has shifted to include many high-energy, high-fat, cafeteria-type, and fast foods," he noted.
Because the epigenetic marks can be easily evaluated, Pan hopes that the study will give doctors a diagnostic tool to screen newborns born with this propensity so they can help children keep their blood sugar in a normal range and give them their best chance of avoiding diabetes .
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