Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1219209
Page 20 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com A high-fat diet can carry health risks, but for mothers-to-be, it may make all the difference when it comes to Alzheimer's disease preven on for their children. In a report published online August 26 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University show for the first me in animals that high maternal fat consump on during gesta on protects offspring against changes in the brain that are characteris c of late-onset Alzheimer's disease. "In humans, it has been known that individuals whose mothers develop Alzheimer's disease a er age 65 are at increased risk of also developing the disease around the same age," said senior inves gator Domenico Pra cò, MD, Sco Richards North Star Founda on Chair for Alzheimer's Research, Professor in the Departments of Pharmacology and Microbiology, and Director of the Alzheimer's Center at Temple at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. in utero Protects Against Alzheimer's Later H i GH - F A T D i e T Gene c factors transmi ed by mothers to their offspring seem like an obvious explana on behind this phenomenon, but so far, no genes have been iden fied that could explain the maternal transmission of Alzheimer's disease. This fact would suggest that environmental factors, such as lifestyle and diet, adopted during the gesta on period, a me in which mother and baby are in ght interac on, could significantly influence the offspring's risk of developing the disease later in life. Diet is of par cular interest as a risk factor, especially a diet rich in animal fat and cholesterol. High-fat intake previously has been shown in young/adult mice to directly exacerbate the types of changes in brain func on that ul mately may contribute to Alzheimer's disease. To be er understand the unique rela onship between maternal Alzheimer's disease and risk in her offspring, Dr. Pra cò and colleagues looked at maternal fat intake specifically during the gesta on period in mice engineered to develop Alzheimer's By Temple University Health System