Besides being underweight, babies born to women whose diet lacked sufficient protein during pregnancy tend to have kidney problems resulting from alterations that occurred while their organs were forming during the embryonic stage of their development.
In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers affiliated with the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, discovered the cause of the problem at the molecular level and its link to epigenetic phenomena (changes in gene expression due to environmental factors such as stress, exposure to toxins or malnutrition, among others).
According to the authors, between 10% and 13% of the world population suffer from chronic kidney disease, a gradual irreversible loss of renal function that is associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disorder.
The study, conducted at the Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center (OCRC), resulted from PhD research by first author Letícia de Barros Sene with a fellowship from FAPESP.
OCRC is a Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) funded by FAPESP.
In the article, the researchers describe the molecular pathways involved in the proliferation and differentiation