Long-term effects on offspring of intrauterine exposure to deficits in nutrition

The number of cell divisions during embryonic and fetal life makes the embr yo/fetus particularly vulnerable to effects resulting from exposure to an a dverse intrauterine environment. Exposure to drugs and irradiation at this stage of development are able to cause congenital malformations and various cancers in later life, In-utero exposure to hyperglycaemia is able to lead to future diabetes that is heritable, but not genetic in origin. Fetal mal nutrition causing growth restriction is able to lead to an increased risk o f developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and ischaemic heart disease in l ater life, especially if the growth restriction is followed by catch-up gro wth postnatally. This review discusses the various mechanisms by which thes e effects may occur, and presents the difficulties that will have to be fac ed if their world-wide health burdens are to be reduced.