Pre-pregnancy diet affects the health of future offspring, mouse study suggests

It is known that events during pregnancy can markedly affect the development of the offspring and also the risks of developing diseases much later in life, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study ( in mice) showed that poor diet prior to conception (even when the diet was normal in pregnancy) also had effects on the offspring , including altered insulin sensitivity. This is likely to go even further - for example famines have been associated with an increased incidence of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at later dates.