Abstract
Perinatal programming of obesity: an introduction to the topic
Highlights
A new paradigm for obesity prevention has emerged from the idea that nutritional and other environmental factors in early life have a profound influence on lifelong health
Gestation and lactation are disclosed as critical periods, and both food restriction and overnutrition can lead to lasting effects in the offspring, thereby changing propensity to obesity and related metabolic alterations in adult life (McMillen and Robinson, 2005; Cottrell and Ozanne, 2008; Sanchez et al, 2012)
Here we describe, review and discuss known conditions in humans and animal models that have been associated with early programming of obesity, endocrine function and metabolic disorders, the mechanisms underpinning this linkage, and potential strategies and therapeutic targets for reversing it
Summary
A new paradigm for obesity prevention has emerged from the idea that nutritional and other environmental factors in early life have a profound influence on lifelong health. It proposes that when a fetus grows under conditions of undernutrition, various strategies in the development of organs and metabolic changes will undertake to maximize the chances of postnatal survival under conditions of food shortage; these adaptations will be detrimental to health if “adequate” nutrition is received later on (Hales and Barker, 2001).
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