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At the birth of each child, the researchers took a sample of the child’s DNA from the umbilical cord

. They analyzed the DNA for methylation, a common epigenetic change
that occurs when a structure called a methyl group latches onto a particular point in a person’s DNA.
When the children were nine years old, the researchers measured their body fat.
Children with methylation of a gene called RXRα,

which is important in helping fat cells develop normally and in regulating their metabolism, were more likely to be obese
than children who didn’t have methylation on that gene, the researchers found.
The researchers then repeated the study with another group of women,
this time measuring the children’s body fat at age six. Again,
RXRα methylation predicted how much body fat the children had.
Children’s body fat percentage increased from 17% to 21% as the proportion of methylated RXRα genes increased from 40% to 80%.

Looking back at what the mothers ate, the researchers found that a link between a low-carbohydrate diet early
in pregnancy and higher levels of RXRα methylation.