Rhee Kyung E, Phelan Suzanne, McCaffery Jeanne
Department of Pediatrics, University of California, 4305 University Avenue, Suite 590, San Diego, CA 92105, USA.
Int J Pediatr. 2012;2012:463850. doi: 10.1155/2012/463850. Epub 2012 May 31.
There is an emerging body of work indicating that genes, epigenetics, and the in utero environment can impact whether or not a child is obese. While certain genes have been identified that increase one's risk for becoming obese, other factors such as excess gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes mellitus, and smoking can also influence this risk. Understanding these influences can help to inform which behaviors and exposures should be targeted if we are to decrease the prevalence of obesity. By helping parents and young children change certain behaviors and exposures during critical time periods, we may be able to alter or modify one's genetic predisposition. However, further research is needed to determine which efforts are effective at decreasing the incidence of obesity and to develop new methods of prevention. In this paper, we will discuss how genes, epigenetics, and in utero influences affect the development of obesity. We will then discuss current efforts to alter these influences and suggest future directions for this work.
越来越多的研究表明，基因、表观遗传学和子宫内环境会影响儿童是否会肥胖。虽然已经确定了某些会增加肥胖风险的基因，但其他因素，如孕期体重过度增加、妊娠期糖尿病和吸烟，也会影响这种风险。了解这些影响有助于明确，如果我们要降低肥胖的患病率，应该针对哪些行为和接触因素。通过帮助父母和幼儿在关键时期改变某些行为和接触因素，我们或许能够改变或调整一个人的遗传易感性。然而，还需要进一步研究以确定哪些措施能有效降低肥胖发生率，并开发新的预防方法。在本文中，我们将讨论基因、表观遗传学和子宫内影响如何影响肥胖的发展。然后我们将讨论目前为改变这些影响所做的努力，并提出这项工作未来的方向。
