Research
Hormonal
Pregnancy complications such as gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) increase the offspring's risk of adult hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome through epigenetic modifications and endothelial dysfunction.
If you were born prematurely or with low birth weight due to pregnancy complications, you may have a higher baseline risk for heart disease and diabetes. Regular monitoring of blood pressure and metabolic markers is advisable, even if you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Pregnancy complications and resulting perinatal outcomes are widely accepted to increase the risk of adult chronic disease in the offspring, including risk for cardiovascular disease, T2D, and metabolic syndrome.
Why this rating
Supported by large epidemiological cohorts (Northern Finland Birth Cohort, ALSPAC) and animal models.
Source
Epigenetic and developmental influences on the risk of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome
Kelli K. Ryckman et al. · Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity · 2015
DOI 10.2147/dmso.s61296
narrative_reviewCited 177×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Adverse intrauterine environments, including maternal malnutrition, high-fat diets, and obesity, program the offspring's metabolism to increase the risk of adult metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease through structural, epigenetic, and hormonal changes.Good
- Maternal high-fat diet and obesity during pregnancy program offspring leptin resistance and altered adiponectin levels, leading to increased adiposity and insulin resistance in the offspring regardless of postnatal diet.Good
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