Research
Hormonal
Intrauterine exposure to excess fuels, particularly glucose, causes permanent fetal changes that lead to accelerated postnatal weight gain and increased risk of obesity in postnatal life.
Maintain healthy weight and blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Excessive weight gain and high glucose levels can program the baby's metabolism for obesity. Consult your doctor for a pregnancy diet plan that supports healthy fetal growth without excessive maternal weight gain.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
the fuel mediated ‘in utero’ hypothesis suggests that intrauterine exposure to an excess of fuels, most notably glucose, causes permanent changes of the fetus that lead to obesity in postnatal life
Why this rating
Supported by numerous observational studies, cohort studies, and experimental interventions (bariatric surgery).
Source
Early nutrition programming of long-term health
Berthold Koletzko et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2012
DOI 10.1017/s0029665112000596
narrative_reviewCited 226×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- A developmental mismatch between a sub-optimal pre-natal/infant environment (e.g., low birth weight, poor growth) and an obesogenic childhood environment predisposes individuals to obesity and related co-morbidities.Good
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