Early life influences on later health: the role of nutrition

Individuals who were small at birth have an increased risk of cardiovascula r disease in later life. Barker has put forward a hypothesis to explain thi s and other associations, known as the 'fetal origins theory of adult disea se'. It is proposed that chronic disease is the long-term outcome of physio logical adaptations the unborn baby makes when it is undernourished, a proc ess referred to as 'programming'. Maternal nutrition is thought to be a maj or influence on programming, and growth in childhood as well as obesity in later life may modulate the propensity for disease acquired in the womb. Wh ile robust evidence to support specific nutritional interventions during pr egnancy is currently lacking, the theory in general affirms broader public health nutritional strategies and policies to improve the social and econom ic status of women.