Famines, pregnancy and effect on the adults

Matthew Edwards

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

Maternal malnutrition is deleterious for the health of offspring throughout their life. The pathological process is thought to involve foetal programming and includes adult manifestations of the metabolic syndrome. Although the mechanism for programming is not proven, it is thought to involve epigenetic change, possibly including imprinting. Effects of maternal starvation are thought to affect multiple generations. The thrifty genotype hypothesis, more recently supplanted by the Barker hypothesis, or foetal programming, or thrifty phenotype hypothesis, might still contribute to the process. Proof or disproof of this will be possible when databases for the whole genome sequence of single tissues or even single cells can be compared within tissues of interest of populations exposed to maternal starvation and controls.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDiet, Nutrition, and Fetal Programming
EditorsRajkumar Rajendram, Victor R. Preedy, Vinood B. Patel
Place of PublicationSwitzerland
PublisherSpringer
Pages357-369
Number of pages13
ISBN (Electronic)9783319602899
ISBN (Print)9783319602875
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • famines
  • starvation
  • pregnant women
  • nutrition
  • metabolic syndrome
  • fetal growth disorders

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