Weighing What We Eat While Pregnant

Nicholas Kristof compared two mice in his NYTimes column;

one was exposed at birth to a chemical that forever changed its DNA.

In the past few days, I've stumbled upon a recurring theme: what we eat (or expose ourselves to) while pregnant can have enormous and surprising consequences.

First, I read about the book Pottenger's Prophecy which deals with how prenatal nutrition affects baby's health.  (For the record, the book seems a little extreme for me, but I won't judge you if you want to check it out.  I just want to be clear that by mentioning it, I'm not necessarily endorsing it.)  It did make me look into the idea of epigenetics though. While looking at the book's website, I read this:

• "You are what you eat, the saying goes. And, according to two new genetic studies, you are what your mother, father, grandparents and great-grandparents ate, too.  Diet, be it poor or healthy, can so alter the nature of one's DNA that those changes can be passed on to the progeny." 

Here is an old article from Time Magazine that further discusses this field of study, if you're interested.  An excerpt is below: 

• "Epigenetics brings both good news and bad. Bad news first: there's evidence that lifestyle choices like smoking and eating too much can change the epigenetic marks atop your DNA in ways that cause the genes for obesity to express themselves too strongly and the genes for longevity to express themselves too weakly. We all know that you can truncate your own life if you smoke or overeat, but it's becoming clear that those same bad behaviors can also predispose your kids — before they are even conceived — to disease and early death." 

And then today, I read Nicholas Kristof's column, "Warnings From a Flabby Mouse" which pulled together the bits of information I'd been Googling.  While Kristof addresses some of the political issues surrounding this issue, here's the big take-away specifically for pregnant women, women looking to become pregnant, or anyone interested in the field of epigenetics (and how their environment may alter their DNA):

• If you're in the group mentioned above, be aware of several environmental toxins:
• BPA (avoid using plastic for food storage or preparation)
• Pesticides on food (eat organic whenever possible)
• Pthalates (avoid cosmetics or shampoos that contain these)

While this list of destructive chemicals isn't surprising, what I DID find notable is that steering clear of them is becoming more and more mainstream.  A few years ago, I felt a little psycho for carrying my water in a stainless steel container; now a respected journalist for the New York Times is calling out doctors for not warning their patients of BPA's risks.    

Kristof is also calling for legislation to regulate chemical use with the Safe Chemicals Act.  Perhaps the more of us who are aware--and supportive--of this act, the more powerful we can be against the lobbyists preventing its passage.