The Surprising Link Between Your Grandmother's Diet and Your Brain

A study conducted on female silkworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) at Monash University in Australia suggests that a mother's diet can affect the brain development and health of her offspring and subsequent generations. Researchers found that feeding the worms a molecule called ursolic acid, found in apples and herbs, resulted in increased levels of a specific fat called sphingosine-1-phosphate, which protected the axons of neurons in the brain from weakening. These metabolic changes were observed in the offspring and persisted for another generation. While the study was conducted on worms, it provides insights into how epigenetic changes might work across species and highlights the potential impact of a mother's diet on brain development.