Programming of obesity - Experimental evidence

Abstract

Obesity and related metabolic disorders are prevalent health issues in modern society and are commonly attributed to lifestyle and dietary factors. However, the mechanisms by which environmental factors modulate the physiological systems that control weight regulation and the aetiology of metabolic disorders, which manifest in adult life, may have their roots before birth. The 'fetal origins' or Yetal programming' paradigm is based on observations that environmental changes can reset the developmental path during intrauterine development leading to obesity and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders later in life. The mechanisms underlying the relationship between prenatal influences and postnatal obesity and related disorders are relatively unknown and remain speculative, as are the interactions between genetic and environmental factors. While many endocrine systems can be affected by fetal programming recent experimental studies suggest that leptin and insulin resistance are critical endocrine defects in the pathogenesis of programming-induced obesity and metabolic disorders. Recent work has also shown that offspring of undernourished mothers display reduced locomotor activity in adult life, independent of postnatal diet. However, it remains to be determined whether postnatal obesity is a consequence of programming of sedentary behaviour and appetite regulation and whether hyperphagia is the main underlying cause of the increased adiposity and the development of metabolic disorders. ©2006 Eurekah.com and Springer Science+Business Media.