M. Patel – Fetal and Early Postnatal Programming and its Influence on Adult Health (2017)

Описание

Preface
A groundbreaking hypothesis on Fetal Origins of Adult Disease proposed by the
late Sir Professor David Barker and his associates 25 years ago highlighted a possible
link between fetal nutritional experience and development of disease risk later
in adult life. Later, this hypothesis was revised to include the early postnatal period
during which the newborn continues to grow rapidly and hence can be influenced by
environmental factors, most notably modified nutrition, predisposing to an increased
risk for adult-onset diseases. This concept is now recognized as the Developmental
Origins of Health and Disease and is supported by outcomes of a large number of
animal studies and a smaller number of observational studies in humans. A large
segment of the world population today experiences one or more of the multitude of
acquired health problems (such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular
disease, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, cancer, autoimmune diseases,
mental disorders, etc.) due partly to abnormal nutritional experiences during the
early period of life (fetal and/or early infancy). Maternal obesity and maternal malnutrition
during gestation and lactation can contribute to developmental programming
in the offspring. The beneficial effects of breastfeeding on reducing childhood
obesity as well as the impact of early nutritional intervention on gut microbiomes
are becoming increasingly recognized. Emerging evidence indicates that epigenetic
modifications contribute to molecular and cellular changes in the offspring, predisposing
to adverse health outcomes later in life. Epigenetic alterations may also, in
part, be responsible for generational effects observed in animal studies. There is an
urgent need for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for
altering normal developmental programs as well as exploring innovative interventional
programs to lessen their adverse effects on health. Interventions to reduce
maternal weight gain during prepregnancy and pregnancy periods and to decrease
metabolic stress by dietary modification including nutraceutical supplementation are
being evaluated for lessening the burden of early programming in the offspring.
Some aspects of developmental programming are covered in recent reviews, but
there is a paucity of books which are devoted to the various aspects of developmental
programming. This book focuses on the current knowledge on several interrelated
aspects of cellular programming as well as future research directions on this increasingly
important global health problem.