Research
Hormonal
Fetal undernutrition programs metabolic efficiency that becomes maladaptive in overnourished environments, leading to abnormal lipid profiles, altered glucose/insulin metabolism, and obesity.
Early life nutrition (fetal and infant) can program metabolic efficiency that predisposes individuals to obesity and diabetes if they later consume an overnourished diet. Public health should consider early life interventions.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The fetal origins hypothesis... whereby the metabolic efficiencies that served well in conditions of fetal undernutrition become maladaptive with overnutrition, leading to the development of abnormal lipid profiles, altered glucose and insulin metabolism and obesity.
Why this rating
Based on Barker et al.'s work and general epidemiological literature cited, but the paper notes controversy.
Source
Nutrition in transition: The changing global nutrition challenge
Barry M. Popkin · Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2001
DOI 10.1046/j.1440-6047.2001.0100s1s13.x
narrative_reviewCited 289×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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