The fetal origins hypothesis (FOH) posits that fetal adaptations to nutritional insufficiency elevate future risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although birth weight (BW) remains the most commonly used index of fetal nutritional sufficiency in FOH research, it is a poor index of fetal nutrition because it is also influenced by genes, epigenetic effects and other nonnutritional factors. This...

Epidemiological findings and experimental studies in animals have shown that individual tissues and whole organ systems can be programmed in utero during critical periods of development with adverse consequences for their function in later life. Detailed morphometric analyses of the data have shown that certain patterns of intrauterine growth, particularly growth retardation, can be related to ...

Fetal programming suggests that maternal stimulation and nutrition during the period of fetal development can program progeny. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an isomer acid, has been characterized in several aspects, but few studies have performed on its involvement reproduction programming. The aim this study was to evaluate F1, F2 F3 progeny female mice supplemented with CLA pregestational g...

Recent findings suggest that coronary heart disease and stroke, and the associated conditions, hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes, originate through impaired growth and development during fetal life and infancy. These diseases may be consequences of 'programming', whereby a stimulus or insult at a critical, sensitive period of early life results in long-term changes in physiology o...