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Exposure of pregnant mice to the pesticide DDT is linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and related conditions in female offspring later in life, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis.

The study, published online July 30 in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to show that developmental exposure to DDT increases the risk of females later developing metabolic syndrome -- a cluster of conditions that include increased body fat, blood glucose, and cholesterol.

DDT was banned in the United States in the 1970s but continues to be used for malaria control in countries including India and South Africa.

Scientists gave mice doses of DDT comparable to exposures of people living in malaria-infested regions where it is regularly sprayed, as well as of pregnant mothers of U.S. adults who are now in their 50s.

"The women and men this study is most applicable to in the United States are currently at the age when they're more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, because these are diseases of middle- to late adulthood," said lead author Michele La Merrill, assistant professor of environmental toxicology at UC Davis.

The scientists found that exposure to DDT before birth slowed the metabolism of female mice and lowered their tolerance of cold temperature. This increased their likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome and its host of related conditions.

"As mammals, we have to regulate our body temperature in order to live," La Merrill said. "We found that DDT reduced female mice's ability to generate heat. If you're not generating as much heat as the next guy, instead of burning calories, you're storing them."

The study found stark gender differences in the mice's response to DDT. Females were at higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cholesterol, but in males, DDT exposure did not affect obesity or cholesterol levels and caused only a minor increase in glucose levels.

A high fat diet also caused female mice to have more problems with glucose, insulin and cholesterol but was not a risk factor for males. The sex differences require further research, the authors said.

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The above story is based on materials provided by University of California - Davis.

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Getting rid of your belly bulge is important for more than merely vanity's sake. Excessive abdominal fat--especially visceral fat, the sort that surrounds your organs and puffs your stomach into a "beer gut"--is a predictor of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and some cancers. If diet and exercise haven't done much to reduce your pooch, your age, then your hormones, and other genetic factors may be the reason why. Read on for 11 possible reasons why your belly fat will not budge.

"Our study tells us what variables may be associated with a parent's motivation to help their child be much more healthy."

The study relies on a survey of 202 parents whose children were enrolled within an obesity clinic at the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island in 2009 and 2008. The survey probed parents' preparedness to take actionable steps to improve physical activity levels and their child's eating habits. More than two-thirds were female, and almost all (94 percent) were clinically classified as obese.

Although most of the kids have been referred to the obesity practice by a primary care provider and had metabolic mark of obesity, 31.4 percent of parents perceived their child's health as excellent or very good and 28 percent did not perceive their kid's weight as a health concern.

Parents indicated a greater interest in helping their kid eat a healthy diet than encouraging the pediatrician-recommended hour of daily physical activity.

Especially, 61.4 percent of parents reported that they were improving their kid's eating habits (less junk food, more fruits and vegetables) while only 41.1 percent said they were raising their child's involvement in energetic play, sports, dancing or even walking. Both diet and exercise are considered keys to good health, and an increasing body of evidence implies that these health habits are formed early in life.

Parents who'd talked with their primary care physician about healthy eating strategies were much more likely to be in the "action stage of change" with their child's diet. By contrast, parents who viewed their own conflict with weight as a health concern were less likely to be addressing their child's eating habits.

The researchers said income, instruction and race/ethnicity had no statistically significant bearing on a parent's chance of making dietary changes due to their child.

When it comes to physical action, researchers don't know why parents appear to accentuate its role in good health, but the finding is consistent with other recent studies that suggest America's youth are mostly out-of-shape and sedentary, replacing playtime with "screen time."

Pros say one strategy to counteract the tendency may be to intervene early. Parents with children 14 or older were much less likely to become successful in helping their child develop a physical dimension to their life than parents of younger kids.

Poverty may also play a role in how much children move as parents with annual incomes of less than $40,000 were also less likely to be participated in ensuring their kid got routine exercise.

The above story is based on materials provided by http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140721142129.htm