According to a new study mother's diet during pregnancy can make changes in the circadian rhythm of child, making it obesity prone. The researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston found that high-fat diet altered the function of fetal genes that regulate circadian rhythm (including appetite and food intake) of offspring during development. They also had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

    "We have found that one of these genes, called Npas2, appears to be a key organizer of the circadian system with the metabolic circuitry. What is perhaps most intriguing is that the expression of this gene (as well as other genes in the fetal circadian system) is actually regulated by changes in the fetal histone code (the core set of proteins around which DNA wraps itself). The writing of this histone code in the offspring is regulated by the maternal diet, and a notably abnormal code is written when moms eat a high fat diet." Said Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, the senior author.

    The researchers conducted the study in three groups. One group was fed a 12 percent fat diet (the control group). The second group was fed a 35 percent fat or high-fat diet and the third group was fed the high-fat diet for up to five years and then switched back to the control diet. Each group maintained their specific diet prior to conception and throughout pregnancy. Offspring from the high-fat group developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; experienced changes in histones, and had altered metabolic profiles and circadian rhythms. Scientists found that improving the diet, either for the pregnant or breastfeeding mother, or for the infant after birth, helps to partially restore the circadian machinery back to normal, possibly lessening the risk of childhood diseases related to obesity.