Boys and girls differ in genetic response to what mom eats

Placentas of female fetuses more sensitive to maternal diet

You are what your mother ate, to some extent; how much depends partly on whether you are a boy or a girl, new research shows.

A study in mice reveals that expectant mothers’ diets influence gene activity differently in the placentas of male and female offspring, researchers report online March 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.