Comments on: Rats on junk food pass cancer down the generations

By: Iris

Iris — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:31:14 +0000

Berber.. what are u arguing?

By: Berber Anna

Berber Anna — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:16:22 +0000

Emanuel: Indeed.
Iris: The grandmother rats were fed the high-fat diet (if that’s what it was, since Yossi seems to disagree here) while pregnant with the pups that would become the mothers of the rats that were less cancer resistant (because that’s really what this is — resistance against cancer induced by a certain chemical). So no, no mutations to the DNA of eggs and sperm — but rather, switching on and off of genes in the fetal rat pups. It’s not Lamarckian evolution, it’s the influence of environmental factors on fetal development.

By: Yossi

Yossi — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:36:16 +0000

I checked out the presentation abstract given at the conference. The rats were given heavy doses of Omega 6 or estradiol supplement, which is a sex hormone. It has been known for some time that excess ingestion of omega 6 is not to be recommended. Your reference to junk foods is totally misleading and your blaring headline does you no credit. Why do so many people lump all fats into the junk food category?
Freaky Deaky indeed.

Msg from Abeo: Both headline and article taken directly from New Scientist

By: Emanuel

Emanuel — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:08:06 +0000

‘Epigenetic’ is the key word .

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:22:08 +0000

It so can not be transferred to humans like ths ofcourse, not even to other rats (who did not get the chemical) or to rats (the few) that develop breast cancer by itself. Why dont they get breast cancer by the way? They do get a lot of tumours in all other areas I know (not labrats perhaps, but the pet rats, with ageing).

I’m sure so many factors, apart from what food and genes, are influencing your chances of developping cancer (in fact, that is common knowledge I think). It’s a fragile balance, the body, once it gets disrupted by something from the outside too much. It respons quite normal although we wont see it as normal or wish for that normal response if it is being called cancer e.g..

By: Iris

Iris — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:28:06 +0000

Ya… i’m sure it’s the junk food that’s contributing to the cancer in the offspring… and not the.. CANCER INDUCING CHEMICAL… look .. if your Dad worked out every day for 10 years then conceived you.. it doesn’t make you any stronger or bigger than if he had sat on the couch for that decade and ate potato chips.. the amazing thing about genetics is that the interactions u have with your environment have no effect on your offspring unless something alters the way your seed is constructed… so this research is implying that a high fat diet some how alters the genetic make up of your sperm….. really guys?? come on..

By: roz

roz — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:15:00 +0000

oh, thank you, new scientist, fer inciting panic. next i’m guessing they will tell us once again about a fabulous new cancer cure–fer mice. :/

By: Ostritch

Ostritch — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 08:51:55 +0000

So are the rats born after their parents have got the cancer? Rather than getting it vicariously?