The Influence of Parental Environmental Exposure and Nutrient Restriction on the Early Life of Offspring Growth in Gambia—A Pilot Study

Ousman Bajinka, Amadou Barrow, Sang Mendy, Binta J. J. Jallow, Jarry Jallow, Sulayman Barrow, Ousman Bah, Saikou Camara, Modou Lamin Colley, Sankung Nyabally, Amie N. Joof, Mingming Qi () and Yurong Tan ()
Additional contact information
Ousman Bajinka: Department of Medical Microbiology, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
Amadou Barrow: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Sang Mendy: Ministry of Health, Banjul P.O. Box 273, The Gambia
Binta J. J. Jallow: Department of Medical Microbiology, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
Jarry Jallow: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Sulayman Barrow: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Ousman Bah: Ministry of Health, Banjul P.O. Box 273, The Gambia
Saikou Camara: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Modou Lamin Colley: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Sankung Nyabally: School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of The Gambia, Kanifing 3530, The Gambia
Amie N. Joof: Department of Medical Microbiology, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
Mingming Qi: Department of Obstetrics, Zhuzhou Hospital Affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410017, China
Yurong Tan: Department of Medical Microbiology, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-13

Abstract: Background: The role of the germline in epigenetic transgenerational inheritance starts with environmental factors, acting on the first generation of a gestating mother. These factors influence the developing second-generation fetus by altering gonadal development, thereby reprogramming the primordial germ cell DNA methylation and leading to consequences that might be seen along generations. Objective: Despite these epigenetic factors now surfacing, the few available studies are on animal-based experiments, and conducting a follow-up on human intergenerational trials might take decades. To this response, this study aimed to determine the influence of parental energy, toxicant exposure, age, and nutrient restriction on the early life of offspring growth in Gambia. Method: This pilot study was based on population observation and combined both maternal and paternal factors across the country between August and October 2021. It captures the lifestyle and health detailed account of 339 reproductive parents and their last born (child under 5 years) using a structured interview questionnaire performed by nurses and public health officers. Results: This study showed that parents who worked in industrial areas were more likely to have offspring with poor psychosocial skills. In addition, mothers who are exposed to oxidative stress and high temperatures are more likely to have offspring with poor psychosocial skills. Mothers who consume a high-protein diet were almost three times more likely to have infants with good psychosocial skills in their offspring. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between maternal stress during pregnancy and the psychosocial skills of offspring. Conclusion: This study was able to ascertain if the maternal diet during gestation, toxicant exposure, maternal stress, and parental smoking habits have an influence on the early life of offspring. While the study recommends a large sample size study to eliminate selection bias, there should be an increased level of awareness of mothers of their offspring’s health and their husbands’ lifestyles that might influence the adulthood health of their offspring.

Keywords: epigenetics; toxicant exposure; maternal stress; parental smoking; offspring health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13045/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13045/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:20:p:13045-:d:938948

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().