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The article offers information on a study regarding establishment of environmentally sensitive DNA methylation states in the very early human embryo. It mentions that women's periconceptional nutrition predicts their offspring's DNA methylation at metastable epialleles (MEs). It states that MEs are enriched for proximal enhancers and transcription start sites and are influenced by genotype.

The article reports that sex-specific epigenetic mechanisms regulate neurodevelopment and demonstrates how human genomic regions are associated with body mass index in humans. It discusses the limited ontogenic windows, and sex differences in sensitivity to developmental programming of obesity and provides a resource for epigenetic analyses of developmental programming of energy balance.

The article focuses on DNA methylation at a nutritionally sensitive region of the PAX8 gene is associated with thyroid volume and function in Gambian children. Topics include PAX8 is a key thyroid transcription factor implicated in thyroid gland differentiation and function, PAX8 gene methylation is reported to be sensitive to the periconceptional environment, and Free T4 was associated with a decrease in DXA-derived body fat and bone mineral density.