Maternal Iron Status in Early Pregnancy and DNA Methylation in Offspring: An Epigenome-Wide Meta-Analysis

May 2022 in “ Clinical Epigenetics ”

Minerva J Taeubert, Paula de Prado-Bert, Madelon L. Geurtsen, Giulia Mancano, Marijn J. Vermeulen, Irwin Reiss, Doretta Caramaschi, Jordi Sunyer, Gemma C Sharp, Jordi Julvez, Martina U. Muckenthaler, Janine F. Felix

DNA methylation CpG sites serum ferritin cord blood maternal iron status

Studysummary This study found that maternal early-pregnancy serum ferritin concentrations were associated with lower DNA methylation levels at specific CpG sites in cord blood, with some associations persisting into childhood.

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A meta-analysis study involving 1286 mother-newborn pairs found a correlation between maternal iron status in early pregnancy and offspring DNA methylation. Higher maternal serum ferritin concentrations in early pregnancy were inversely associated with DNA methylation at three CpG sites in the offspring's cord blood, with two of these associations persisting as the children aged. However, no association was found between cord blood serum ferritin concentrations and cord blood DNA methylation levels at the three identified CpGs. The study suggests that maternal iron status in early pregnancy may influence DNA methylation in offspring, potentially affecting health outcomes. Further research is needed to understand the role of these CpGs in the associations of maternal iron status and offspring health outcomes.

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