Impact of maternal obesity and diabetes on long-term health of the offspring.

Christine Maric-Bilkan, Michael Symonds, Susan Ozanne, Barbara T Alexander

OAI: oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/266017 • DOI: 10.17863/CAM.10502

The initial observations of David Barker, popularly known as the “Barker hypothesis” or “developmental origins of health and disease,” show that being born with low birth weight, as a result of intrauterine growth restriction produced by maternal undernutrition, is associated with a number of chronic diseases later in life [1]. Subsequently, studies show that it is not just intrauterine growth restriction, but also exposure to any other adverse factor during fetal and/or early postnatal development that can increase susceptibility to a number of chronic diseases later in life including cardiovascular and renal disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, certain forms of cancer, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and polycystic ovary syndrome [2–4]

Adult Children Diabetes Gestational Female health status Humans Male Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena obesity Overweight Pregnancy Pregnancy in Diabetics