The “fetal” or “early” origins of adult disease hypothesis was originally put forward by David
Barker and colleagues and stated that environmental factors, particularly nutrition, act in …

The importance of a single genotype being able to produce different phenotypes in different
environments (phenotypic plasticity) is widely recognized in evolutionary theory and its …

Evidence is mounting that the gut-brain axis plays an important role in mental diseases
fueling mechanistic investigations to provide a basis for future targeted interventions …

Background The prevalence and magnitude of childhood obesity are increasing
dramatically. We examined the effect of varying degrees of obesity on the prevalence of the …

The prevalence of maternal obesity has risen dramatically in recent years, with
approximately one in five pregnant women in the UK now classed as obese (body mass …

There are many ecological advantages to attaining a large body size as fast as possible
(such as reduced risks of being caught by predators or increased reproductive success) …

The intrauterine conditions in which the mammalian fetus develops have an important role in
regulating the function of its physiological systems later in life. Changes in the intrauterine …

OBJECTIVE—Features of the metabolic syndrome are becoming increasingly evident in
children. Decreased physical activity is likely to be an important etiological factor, as shown …

The fetal origins hypothesis asserts that nutrient deprivation in utero can raise chronic
disease risk. Within economics, this hypothesis has gained acceptance as a leading …

Individual differences in psychoneuroendocrine function play an important role in health and
disease. Developmental models postulate that these individual differences evolve through a …