Chapter 10, Problem 3DAA

Effect of Paternal Grandmother’s Food Supply on Infant Mortality Researchers are investigating long- reaching epigenetic effects of starvation, in part because historical data on periods of famine are widely available. Before the industrial revolution, a failed harvest in one autumn typically led to severe food shortages the following winter. A retrospective study has correlated female infant mortality at certain ages with the abundance of food during the paternal grandmother’s childhood. FIGURE 10.12 shows some of the results of this study.

FIGURE 10.12 Graph showing the relative risk of early death of a female child, correlated with the age at which her paternal grandmother experienced a winter with a food supply that was scarce (blue) or abundant (red) during childhood. The dotted line represents no difference in risk of morality. A value above the line means an increases risk; one below the line indicates a reduced risk.

3. There was no correlation between early death of a male child and eating habits of his paternal grandmother, hut there was a strong correlation with the eating habits of his paternal grandfather. What does this tell you about the probable location of epigenetic changes that gave rise to these data?