Pre- and post-natal nutritional factors in the metabolic regulation of obesity

Abstract

In recent decades there has been a very significant increase in obesity in most developing countries. In addition to environmental, genetic and hormonal factors, nutritional and maternal environment factors influencing critical periods of foetal development have acquired increasing significance since the thrifty phenotype theory was described by Harles and Barker and epidemiological studies demonstrated that perinatal conditions may modify individuals’ future metabolic responses via genomic reprogramming. Perinatal programming corresponds to a critical and accelerated period of developmental plasticity from preconception through early postnatal life. This characteristic may also have a long-term influence on metabolic health and obesity. Epigenetic modifications favour the survival of the individual in critical periods when nutritional restriction is established, but exerts long-term risks, as metabolic programming tracks into infancy and adulthood and induces fat mass accumulation, particularly if energy consumption is exceeded. Although the mechanisms are not yet fully understood, it is evident that hormonal factors such as insulin and leptin may influence the programming of hypothalamic circuits for energy balance regulation. Nutritional interventions in animal models at critical stages of development have demonstrated that microenvironmental modifications might induce a permanent modulation of the progeny genome expression via epigenetic mechanisms. A transgenerational transmission of obesity has been proposed.