Hormonal
Maternal and neonatal nutritional status (both under- and over-nutrition) induces stable epigenetic modifications (DNA methylation, histone modification, miRNA) that program offspring susceptibility to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and obesity in adulthood.
For expectant parents: Prioritize balanced nutrition (avoiding both severe restriction and excessive high-fat/sugar diets) during pregnancy and early infancy. This is not just about birth weight, but about programming the child's long-term metabolic health and reducing the risk of future obesity and diabetes through epigenetic mechanisms.
The studies here reviewed suggest that maternal and neonatal diet may have long-lasting effects in the development of non-communicable chronic adulthood diseases, in particular the components of the so-called metabolic syndrome, such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and CVD.
Why this rating
The paper is a narrative review citing animal models and some human observational data; it lacks direct human intervention trials proving causality in the general population.
Source
Epigenetic mechanisms elicited by nutrition in early life
Roberto Berni Canani et al. · Nutrition Research Reviews · 2011
DOI 10.1017/s0954422411000102
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