Umbilical cord blood could be used to predict childhood obesity

The expression of certain genes in umbilical cord blood is associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. The finding suggests that cord blood could predict whether a newborn will develop obesity, allowing doctors to intervene sooner.

Environmental factors such as pollution, diet and exercise can influence the activity of genes by switching them on or off with chemical tags called epigenetic marks. These changes can increase the likelihood of developing various health conditions, including …