WHETHER or not some of your genes are active may depend on what food supplements your mother took.
That is the implication of an intriguing study in mice. The coat colour of offspring was changed by simply giving females extra doses of four common nutrients, including folic acid and vitamin B12. The offspring were also less prone to obesity and diabetes than genetically identical mice whose mothers had not been given supplements. The differences were due to heritable changes in the activity of at least one gene in the offspring.
It is not yet clear if the same phenomenon occurs…
