Epigenetic Patterns in Five-Year-Old Children Exposed to a Low Glycemic Index Dietary Intervention during Pregnancy: Results from the ROLO Kids Study.

Aisling A. Geraghty,Richard Saffery,Fionnuala M. McAuliffe,Eileen C. O’Brien,Alex Sexton-Oates

doi:10.3390/nu12123602

Abstract

A range of in utero and early-life factors can influence offspring epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation patterns. This study aimed to investigate the influence of a dietary intervention and factors in pregnancy on offspring epigenetic profile at five years of age. We also explored associations between body composition and methylation profile in a cross-sectional analysis. Sixty-three five-year-olds were selected from the ROLO Kids Study, a Randomized controlled trial Of a LOw glycemic index dietary intervention from the second trimester of pregnancy. DNA methylation was investigated in 780,501 CpG sites in DNA isolated from saliva. Principal component analysis identified no association between maternal age, weight, or body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy and offspring DNA methylation (p > 0.01). There was no association with the dietary intervention during pregnancy, however, gene pathway analysis identified functional clusters involved in insulin secretion and resistance that differed between the intervention and control. There were no associations with child weight or adiposity at five years of age; however, change in weight from six months was associated with variation in methylation. We identified no evidence of long-lasting influences of maternal diet or factors on DNA methylation at age five years. However, changes in child weight were associated with the methylome in childhood.

Highlights

In adults, epigenetic changes in DNA can occur as a result of exposure to various environmental factors, including diet, tobacco, physical activity, stress, drugs, and carcinogens [1,2]
There were no significant differences in weight, height, or body composition at five years of age in children born to mothers in the intervention or control group (Table 2)
Body composition at five years was not associated with methylation status, change in weight centile from birth to five years of age was associated with variation in the sample set, which suggests that growth patterns may be linked with the methylome in childhood

Summary

Introduction

Epigenetic changes in DNA can occur as a result of exposure to various environmental factors, including diet, tobacco, physical activity, stress, drugs, and carcinogens [1,2]. DNA methylation patterns, which have been implicated in the determination of long-term health for the offspring [5,6], causal relationships have not been established. Adverse conditions in utero, such as smoking exposure during pregnancy, have been shown to influence epigenetic patterns in the offspring. Research has shown that distinct markers of smoking in pregnancy persist in the methylome of offspring at five years of age [8]. This analysis replicated findings from studies carried out in both younger and older age groups, which highlight the postnatal stability of DNA methylation changes that occur in utero. According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

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