Hormonal
Fetal exposure to nutrient restriction programs a 'thrifty phenotype' that increases susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease when the individual encounters an environment of nutritional abundance.
If you were born small or in a low-resource environment, your body is biologically programmed to store energy efficiently. When you have access to abundant food, this 'thrifty' programming makes you highly susceptible to weight gain and diabetes. You must be proactive about diet and activity, as your body will fight harder to store fat than someone with a different early-life history.
The thrifty phenotype model suggests that the organism adapts to poor nutrition in early life by programming its insulin metabolism to expect a similarly-depleted environment subsequently, and this adaptation appears to operate through insulin resistance rather than insulin secretion.
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of epidemiological data, animal studies, and clinical assessments cited in the paper.
Source
Epidemiological and nutrition transition in developing countries: impact on human health and development
Paul Amuna et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2008
DOI 10.1017/s0029665108006058
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