Mechanism Linking Preconception Arsenic Exposure and Diabetes in Offspring Revealed

Exposure to inorganic arsenic before conception can trigger changes in gene activity that are passed down to offspring and increase their risk of developing diabetes, according to a study in mice funded by an NIEHS individual research grant and by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program. These changes, known as epigenetic changes, alter how genes work without changing the genes themselves. In this study, the researchers looked at a type of change called CpG methylation.