Epigenetic differences in metastable epialleles also have been reported in 7-year-old offspring of women in the Gambia who conceived during the rainy season (a season of famine) compared
with the harvest season.Interestingly, a study of epigenetic modifications in the igf2/H19locus in babies born small-forgestational-age did notfind methylation differences,indicating once again that fetal developmental adaptations in response to maternal nutrition are not causally related to altered fetal growth.Further, the relationship between maternal nutritional status and the metabolic regulation of the offspring may extend beyond the next generation.