The long-term effects of prenatal development on growth and metabolism
The long-term effects of prenatal development on growth and metabolism
People who were small at birth and had poor infant growth have an increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes, particularly if their restricted early growth was followed by increased childhood weight gain. These relations extend across the normal range of birth size in a graded manner, so reduced size is not a prerequisite. In addition, larger birth size is associated with risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The associations appear to reflect developmental plastic responses made by the fetus and infant based on cues about the environment, influenced by maternal characteristics including diet, body composition, stress, and exercise levels. These responses involve epigenetic processes that modify the offspring's phenotype. Vulnerability to ill health results if the environment in infancy, childhood, and later life is mismatched to the phenotype induced in development, informed by the developmental cues. This mismatch may arise through unbalanced diet or body composition of the mother or a change in lifestyle factors between generations. These insights offer new possibilities for the early diagnosis and prevention of chronic disease.
nutrition, fetal growth, metabolic disease, epigenetics
257-265
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Hanson, Mark A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f
2011
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Hanson, Mark A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f
Godfrey, Keith M., Inskip, Hazel M. and Hanson, Mark A.
(2011)
The long-term effects of prenatal development on growth and metabolism.
Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 29 (3), .
(doi:10.1055/s-0031-1275518).
(PMID:21769765)
Abstract
People who were small at birth and had poor infant growth have an increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes, particularly if their restricted early growth was followed by increased childhood weight gain. These relations extend across the normal range of birth size in a graded manner, so reduced size is not a prerequisite. In addition, larger birth size is associated with risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The associations appear to reflect developmental plastic responses made by the fetus and infant based on cues about the environment, influenced by maternal characteristics including diet, body composition, stress, and exercise levels. These responses involve epigenetic processes that modify the offspring's phenotype. Vulnerability to ill health results if the environment in infancy, childhood, and later life is mismatched to the phenotype induced in development, informed by the developmental cues. This mismatch may arise through unbalanced diet or body composition of the mother or a change in lifestyle factors between generations. These insights offer new possibilities for the early diagnosis and prevention of chronic disease.
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Published date: 2011
Keywords:
nutrition, fetal growth, metabolic disease, epigenetics
Organisations:
Health Sciences
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Local EPrints ID: 194419
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/194419
PURE UUID: 67b20786-7623-4076-ba84-224dc540794c
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Date deposited: 27 Jul 2011 14:51
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:07
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