It’s known that what a mother eats while pregnant can influence the health and development of her offspring. But does a lady’s pregnancy eating regimen affect brain health across generations? A study says eating apples and herbs can protect the brain health of not only her children, but her grandchildren too.

Researchers from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute in Australia analyzed the functioning of brain axons – 850,000 kilometer-long cables that facilitate the communication essential for brain function.

“A malfunction that makes the axons fragile can result in brain dysfunction and neurodegeneration. We asked whether natural products present in the eating regimen can stabilize these axons and forestall breakage,” said Professor Roger Pocock, a senior writer of the study.

Pocock and his team used roundworms as a genetic model attributable to their genetic similarities to humans and located that a certain molecule, called ursolic acid, can prevent the breakdown of axons. Ursolic acid is present in apples and in herbs corresponding to basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage.

“We identified a molecule present in apples and herbs (ursolic acid) that reduces axon fragility. How? We found that ursolic acid causes a gene to activate that makes a particular kind of fat. This particular fat also prevented axon fragility as animals age by improving axon transport and subsequently its overall health,” Pocock said.

A kind of fat that stops axon fragility – sphingolipid – travels from the mother’s intestine to eggs within the uterus to guard the brain health of the following generation, he added.

The findings of the study were published within the journal Nature Cell Biology. Researchers find the outcomes promising, even though it must be confirmed in humans.

“That is the primary time that a lipid/fat has been shown to be inherited. Further, feeding the mother the sphingolipid protects the axons of two subsequent generations. This implies a mother’s eating regimen can affect not only their offspring’s brain but potentially subsequent generations. Our work supports a healthy eating regimen while pregnant for optimal brain development and health,” Pocock said.

Published by Medicaldaily.com