Even before they are born, babies accumulate changes in their DNA through a process called DNA methylation that may interfere with gene expression, and in turn, their health as they grow up. But until now it's been unclear just how long these changes during the prenatal period persist. In a new study, researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health establish that signs of DNA methylation persist through early childhood, suggesting the factors that influence these changes during or before pregnancy could have effects throughout a child's life.
↧