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Published online 2 June 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news060529-10
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Mother's diet can tinker with baby's genes
Dietary supplement can make generations of mice obese.
A simple vitamin supplement in a pregnant mouse's diet can make her offspring fatter, according to research presented on 1 June at the Human Genome Organisation meeting in Helsinki, Finland. The effect is thought to be due to chemical changes made to the mother's DNA, which can be passed down the generations.
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