In mice, mothers with metabolic syndrome can 'turn on' offspring's liver disease (Mother’s milk, not birth, passed on metabolic syndrome)

Medical Xpress / North Carolina State University / Hepatology ^ | Feb. 7, 2022 | Tracey Peake / Marine Baptissart et al

[ConservativeMind]

New research has found that an imprinted gene associated with development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is switched on in mice who nurse from mothers with metabolic syndrome, even when those mice are not biologically related. The finding supports the hypothesis that imprinted genes play important roles in this metabolic disease, and could lead to the development of preventative treatments.

NAFLD is a condition where excess fat builds up in liver tissue for reasons unrelated to alcohol consumption. If untreated, the excess fat can lead to inflammation, scarring and increased risk of liver cancer. The incidence of NAFLD is increasing among children and adolescents, with 10% of children in the U.S. currently affected.

Metabolic syndrome, or MetS, is a catchall term for a number of health issues including high blood sugar, obesity and elevated blood pressure. Previous studies had shown a link between MetS in mothers and increased NAFLD susceptibility in infants.

They studied four groups: offspring of control mice nursed by control mice, offspring of MetS mice nursed by MetS mice, and cross-fostered offspring from both groups. Cross-fostered means that the offspring of one group were nursed by mothers from the other group.

They found that mice born to MetS mothers and nursed by control mice did not develop NAFLD, whereas most mice from both control and MetS groups nursed by MetS mothers did.

Using RNA sequencing, the researchers found that the imprinted gene network (IGN), including its regulator, an imprinted gene called Zac1, was upregulated, or more active, in mice nursed by the MetS mothers.

"Researchers have proposed that imprinted genes play a role in this process—we're showing here that they do," Cowley continues. "The work also confirms the post-natal environment is more important to the development of the disease than pre-natal exposure."

[ConservativeMind]

This is a strange finding, to me.

[ConservativeMind]

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[euram]

It always does my heart good to hear about how we are trying to engineer smarter, faster, healthier mice. Soon, maybe they’ll be setting human traps for us.

[DannyTN]

So mother’s milk from someone with metabolic syndrome triggers liver disease in the recipient?

That sounds like probably a viral agent. Unless there is some toxin in the milk. Should be pretty easy to identify.

[DannyTN]

So mother’s milk from someone with metabolic syndrome triggers liver disease in the recipient?

That sounds like probably a viral agent. Unless there is some toxin in the milk. Should be pretty easy to identify.

[DannyTN]

So mother’s milk from someone with metabolic syndrome triggers liver disease in the recipient?

That sounds like probably a viral agent. Unless there is some toxin in the milk. Should be pretty easy to identify.

[Varda]

I’d guess mothers with high blood sugar also have elevated carbohydrates in their milk. Babies need the fat content to be elevated not the sugar content.

[telescope115]

Not unless they start mainlining some kind of growth hormone. I hope that when the mice get big enough, they make Fauci their first victim…