Research
Hormonal
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.
If your baby was born small, avoid overfeeding them in early childhood. Rapid catch-up growth can increase the risk of obesity and metabolic disease. Aim for steady, moderate growth and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
the mismatch hypothesis suggests that experiencing a developmental ‘mismatch’ between a sub-optimal perinatal and an obesogenic childhood environment is related to a particular predisposition to obesity and corresponding co-morbidities
Why this rating
Supported by observational studies linking low birth weight and rapid childhood weight gain to CHD and obesity.
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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