Hormonal
In utero exposure to famine or severe nutritional restriction increases the adult risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, with risk magnitude dependent on the specific gestational timing of exposure.
If you were born to a mother who experienced severe food scarcity, your body may be biologically primed to store fat and regulate blood sugar differently than average. This is not a character flaw. Focus on consistent, moderate nutritional quality and regular physical activity to support your metabolic health, rather than extreme restrictive diets which may trigger further metabolic adaptation.
adults who were exposed to the famine during any 10-week period of gestation had an increased risk for hypertension compared to unexposed adults... men from the Dutch famine cohort who were exposed to famine during the first two trimesters of gestation had a higher risk of obesity compared to men exposed during late gestation and early infancy.
Why this rating
Based on large, well-characterized historical cohort studies (Dutch Hunger Winter, Chinese Great Famine) with consistent epidemiological findings.
Source
Developmental origins of metabolic diseases
Daniël J. Hoffman et al. · Physiological Reviews · 2020
DOI 10.1152/physrev.00002.2020
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