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Unborn babies are in a perpetual nutritional tug-of-war with their mothers due to a “greedy” gene inherited from their fathers, a new study suggests. Scientists from the University of Cambridge have found that foetuses use the gene to “remote-control” their mother into feeding them extra food and control her metabolism. While the mother’s body wants the baby to survive, it needs to keep enough glucose and fats circulating in her system for her own health in order to be able to deliver the child, breastfeed, and reproduce again. Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, professor in Foetal and Placental Physiology, a Fellow of St John’s College and co-senior author of the paper, said: “It’s the first direct evidence that a gene inherited from the father is signalling to the mother to divert nutrients to the foetus.” Dr Miguel Constancia, MRC investigator based at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science and co-senior author of the paper, said: “The baby’s remote control system is operated by genes that can be switched on or off depending on whether they are a ‘dad’s’ or ‘mum’s’ gene’, the so-called imprinted genes. “Genes controlled by the father are ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ and will tend to manipulate maternal resources for the benefit of the foetuses, so to grow them big and fittest. “Although pregnancy is largely cooperative, there is a big arena for potential conflict between the mother and the baby, with imprinted genes and the placenta thought to play key roles.” The new study looked at how the placenta communicates with the mother through the release of hormones so she can accommodate her baby’s growth. In pregnant mice, scientists selectively altered the signalling cells in the placenta that tell mothers to allocate nutrients to her developing foetuses. The baby’s genes controlled by the father tend to promote foetal growth and those controlled by the mother tend to limit foetal growth, experts say. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri explained: “Those genes from the mother that limit foetal growth are thought to be a mother’s way of ensuring her survival, so she doesn’t have a baby that takes all the nutrients and is too big and challenging to birth. “The mother also has a chance of having subsequent pregnancies potentially with different males in the future to pass on her genes more widely.” In the study researchers deleted the expression of an important gene called Igf2, which provides instructions for making a protein called “Insulin Like Growth Factor Two”. Similar to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for making glucose and controlling its levels in our circulation, the gene promotes foetal growth and plays a key part in the development of tissues including the placenta, liver, and brain. Dr Jorge Lopez-Tello, a lead author of the study based at Cambridge’s department of physiology, development and neuroscience, said: “If the function of Igf2 from the father is switched off in signalling cells, the mother doesn’t make enough amounts of glucose and lipids – fats – available in her circulation. “These nutrients, therefore, reach the foetus in insufficient amounts and the foetus doesn’t grow properly.” The scientists found that deleting the gene also affects production of other hormones that modulate the way the mother’s pancreas produces insulin, and how her liver and other metabolic organs respond. Babies with Igf2 gene defects can be overgrown or growth-stunted. And the researchers say that until now, it was not known that part of the gene’s role is to regulate signalling to the mother to allocate nutrients to the unborn child. The mice studied were smaller at birth and their offspring showed early signs of diabetes and obesity in later life. Professor Sferruzzi-Perri said: “Our research highlights how important the controlled allocation of nutrients to the foetus is for the lifelong health of the offspring, and the direct role the placenta plays. “The placenta is an amazing organ. At the end of pregnancy, the placenta is delivered by the mother, but the memories of how the placenta was functioning leaves a lasting legacy on the way those foetal organs have developed and then how they’re going to function through life.” The findings are published in the Cell Metabolism journal. Reporting by PA Read More It took until my thirties to realise I might not be white Carrie Johnson announces birth of third child with Boris Johnson: ‘Guess which name my husband chose’ How many children does Boris Johnson have? The meaning behind the name of Carrie and Boris Johnson’s third child Emilia Clarke’s brain haemorrhage ‘profoundly changed our lives’, says star’s mother How many children does Boris Johnson have?

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With 3.2 million views of the TikTok tag ‘bed rotting’ and copious videos, it seems Gen Z are embracing a slower pace of life, with self-care happening in bed. Creators are sharing their morning routines and experiences of bed rotting for self-care, but the trend has come under fire for its potential health implications. Content creator Vanessa Hill describes it in her video as: “When you do literally nothing but laying in bed. It is the end of optimisation.” According to psychologist and The Beekeeper House founder and CEO Robert Common, “Bed rotting is the practice of spending an extended amount of time during your normal waking hours, or even a whole day, lying in bed. You could be watching films, scrolling on social media, talking on the phone, eating, or anything you would normally do if you were at home relaxing. “This differs from bed rest to recover from illness or injury, and is often used as a method of dealing with stress or anxiety, or as a self-care tool,” he explains. This is a shunning of hustle culture and productivity in the pursuit of self-care. “Although bed rotting might be the hottest self-care method trending on TikTok, the idea behind it isn’t new,” says Common. “People have been taking ‘duvet days’ for a long time now, and many companies even have policies around this, allowing staff an entitlement to several duvet days per year. “What we are seeing with this trend is more a case of social media driving conversations among young people. It could be especially appealing to Gen Zs, as many report feeling more stressed than other generations, so taking time away from it all to recuperate mentally could be especially appealing,” he explains. But, is it actually self-care or is it doing more harm than good? The benefits There are some positive aspects to this grimly named practice. “Taking some mental downtime to recharge has many benefits,” says Common. “We live in a very fast-paced world, so stepping back, reconnecting with yourself, recharging your batteries and rebuilding some mental and physical energy is always a positive thing to do. In fact, it’s something that more of us should be scheduling into our routines if we can. “Having this downtime puts us in a stronger position to reassess our goals and find the motivation to reach for them, manage our commitments and explore personal interests and hobbies without burning ourselves out,” he explains. Damage to mental health and physical wellbeing “Spending the odd day here and there throughout the month bed rotting is unlikely to do you any damage – quite the reverse. However, as with all things in life, balance is key,” explains Common. For example, “If bed rotting becomes a dominating factor or behaviour in how you spend your free time, this could be an indicator of depression or burnout. If you suspect you’re experiencing these – or other underlying health issues – it’s important to seek appropriate support to help identify the root causes, and find healthy ways to manage them,” he says. Other practices may be more beneficial. “Whilst rest is important for wellbeing, exercise is also a powerful tool for maintaining good mental and physical health, so ultimately, it’s about not being on either extreme of the spectrum.” Impact on sleep Bed rotting can impact the amount and the quality of sleep you get, too. “An important factor of good sleep hygiene is reserving your bed for sleeping only,” Common says. “Watching Netflix, scrolling on your phone and eating are some of the most obvious activities that go hand-in-hand with bed rotting, but it can make it harder to follow a good sleep schedule. “It’s also important to expend enough energy during the day to fall asleep on time, and maximise the benefits that come with proper sleep,” he says. So, while a few duvet days here and there could be counted as self-care, bed rotting too often may leave you worn out and unhappy. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Beekeeping has gone viral – but how easy is it? Women in certain professions ‘may be at higher risk of ovarian cancer’ – study Everything you need to know about sleep in pregnancy

To say that the Rhode beauty products, created by Hailey Rhode Bieber, are a hot commodity would be an understatement. You saw the launch party at Krispy Kreme in Times Square, both Biebers and NYC’s most followed influencers in attendance. Maybe you’re trying to decide whether the hype is real or if it’s that marketing budget and Bieber’s naturally good skin — which, of course, is not exclusively to the credit of a serum — that’s causing the commotion.