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Several studies have shown that utero-environment is associated with disease risk, including coronary heart disease type 2 diabetes, childhood obesity as well as psychiatric problems and disorders. Smoking during pregnancy influences widespread and highly reproducible differences in DNA methylation at birth. Less dramatic effects have been reported for maternal body mass index (BMI) pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes possible epigenetic changes as a consequence of prenatal stress are less well established. Some of these early differences in DNA methylation persist, although attenuated, through childhood and might be related to later symptom s and indicators of disease risk, including BMI during childhood or substance use in adolescence. Methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs, i.e., SNPs significantly associated with DNA methylation status the association of meQTLs with DNA methylation is relatively stable throughout the life course.
