Metabolic imprinting

[1] Perinatal nutrition has been identified as a significant factor in determining an offspring's likelihood of it being predisposed to developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes amongst other conditions.

[5][6] As a result, if a mother is hyperglycaemic the foetus is likely to be hyperinsulinaemic which leads to it having increased levels of growth and adiposity.

[7] When a foetus is in the womb and is not receiving sufficient nutrition, it can adapt to prioritize organ growth and increased metabolic efficiency to prepare itself for life in an energy deficient environment.

Postnatally, when given the correct nutrition, babies exhibit ‘catch up growth’, potentially leading to obesity and other related complications.

This is because the formation of the kidneys is inhibited, which decreases filtration and flow rate through the nephrons, leading to increased blood pressure.

[13] Paternal overnutrition can also have a detrimental effect and new-borns have shown changes in methylation of DNA generally, with substantial hypomethylation at the gene Insulin-like Growth factor 2 (IGF2).