Altering Phenotype without Genotype

Symposium — Monday, April 23, 2018 — 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM — Convention Center, Room 25B
Translational Physiology Interest Group — Chair: Jenny Sones — Co-Chair: Dorien Reijnders-Most

Geneticists have been fascinated for many years by the phenomenon of nature versus nurture. Simply, this has been described as the relative impact of ones genetic makeup as compared to environment, i.e. lifestyle, on their observable traits. This topic is of great interest and importance when looking at obesity. Is a person pre-determined to be obese from the very beginning based on inheritance of genes or can lifestyle changes, gestational, neonatal, post-natal, influence obesity later in life? There is a growing amount of data showing that fetal programming during pregnancy, as well as neonatal programming during lactation predispose one to obesity later in life regardless of genotype. Furthermore, lifestyle choices as an adult could potentially override these adverse programs early in life. This session will bring together leading scientists in the field of obesity during different developmental stages and how phenotypes can be altered by lifestyle choices during pregnancy, lactation, and later in life independent of genotype.   

Speakers

• Maternal obesity and neonatal body mass biometry.
  Leanne Redman — Reproductive Endocrinology & Womens Health, LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center


• The milk of paradise? Maternal obesity, milk composition, and infant growth.
  Ellen Demerath — Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota


• Eating for two: parental dietary effects on offspring metabolism.
  Rebecca Simmons — Perelman Sch. of Med., Univ. of Pennsylvania


• CHAIR
  Jenny Sones —


• COCHAIR
  Dorien Reijnders-Most —