Fetal programming of children's obesity risk

Stout, Stephanie A.; Espel, Emma V.; Sandman, Curt A.; Glynn, Laura M.; Davis, Elysia Poggi

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.12.009

Cited by 64 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Children of mothers with depressive symptoms are more likely to be obese or overweight in infancy (103,104), childhood (105,106), and adolescence (107). Prenatal exposure to maternal stress and distress has been shown to be associated with both children's obesity and rapid postnatal growth (108,109). Proposed mechanisms for the association include infant feeding practices (110), mother-infant interaction (111), mother-infant feeding interactions (112), parenting style (113), and a direct effect of stressors leading to central adiposity via arousal of the child's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (86).…”

Section: Psychosocial Vulnerabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood obesity

2015

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The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased globally over the past three decades, with evidence of recent leveling off in developed countries. Reduction in the, currently high, prevalence of obesity will require a full understanding of the biological and social pathways to obesity in order to develop appropriately targeted prevention strategies in early life. Determinants of childhood obesity include individual level factors, including biological, social, and behavioral risks, acting within the influence of the child's family environment, which is, in turn, imbedded in the context of the community environment. These influences act across childhood, with suggestions of early critical periods of biological and behavioral plasticity. There is evidence of sex and gender differences in the responses of boys and girls to their environments. The evidence that determinants of childhood obesity act at many levels and at different stages of childhood is of policy relevance to those planning early health promotion and primary prevention programs as it suggests the need to address the individual, the family, the physical environment, the social environment, and social policy. The purpose of this narrative review is to summarize current, and emerging, literature in a multilevel, life course framework. INTRODUCTIONThe prevalence of childhood obesity has increased globally over the past three decades, with more rapid increases recently occurring in low-income countries (1). In the United States, more than 30% of children are now overweight or obese (1), with evidence that the prevalence has leveled off (2). Children and adolescents are exhibiting obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher fasting insulin levels (3-6). In addition, childhood obesity predicts adulthood obesity and its known health consequences (7,8). Treatment of obesity is notoriously difficult, with weight loss rarely sustained in adults (9). Therapeutic interventions in childhood are somewhat more successful, particularly if the intervention occurs prior to onset of puberty (10). However, real and sustained progress in combating the obesity epidemic will require a full understanding of the biological and social pathways to obesity in order to develop appropriately targeted prevention strategies in early life.Pathways to childhood obesity are complex. It is therefore helpful to discuss determinants of obesity within a conceptual framework. A multilevel conceptual model, Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory (11), has previously been applied to the conceptualization of childhood obesity by Davison and Birch (12). This framework depicts individual-level factors, including biological, social, and behavioral risks, as acting within the influence of the child's family environment, which is, in turn imbedded in the context of the community environment. It is also helpful to consider critical periods for obesity risk and, as will be further illustrated in a later section,...

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Section: Psychosocial Vulnerabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood obesity

2015

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“…According to this model, in utero exposures can play a significant role in shaping future physiology and there is particular interest in how prenatal stress 1 may influence fetal development, leading to altered childhood outcomes. Thousands of studies in humans and animal models have examined these issues, focusing on outcomes ranging from immune function (1,2) to metabolism (3,4). The influence of maternal stress can be seen even during fetal development (5,6) and can be long-lasting, persisting into adulthood (7,8).…”

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Stress and Androgen Activity During Fetal Development

Barrett

Swan

2015

Endocrinology

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Prenatal stress is known to alter hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, and more recent evidence suggests that it may also affect androgen activity. In animal models, prenatal stress disrupts the normal surge of testosterone in the developing male, whereas in females, associations differ by species. In humans, studies show that (1) associations between prenatal stress and child outcomes are often sex-dependent, (2) prenatal stress predicts several disorders with notable sex differences in prevalence, and (3) prenatal exposure to stressful life events may be associated with masculinized reproductive tract development and play behavior in girls. In this minireview, we examine the existing literature on prenatal stress and androgenic activity and present new, preliminary data indicating that prenatal stress may also modify associations between prenatal exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate, (a synthetic, antiandrogenic chemical) and reproductive development in infant boys. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that prenatal exposure to both chemical and nonchemical stressors may alter sex steroid pathways in the maternal-placental-fetal unit and ultimately alter hormone-dependent developmental endpoints.

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“…In a recent study of 246 women and their healthy children, we (70) evaluated the association between fetal exposure to pCRH (from 15 to 37 weeks gestation) and child body mass index (BMI) in infants from 3 to 24 months of age. First, after adjusting for length of gestation, elevated pCRH at 30 weeks gestation was associated with both BMI and weight at birth.…”

Section: Fetal Exposure To Pcrh and Infant Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetal exposure to placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) programs developmental trajectories

Sandman

2015

Peptides

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The maternal endocrine stress system is profoundly altered during the course of human pregnancy. The human placenta expresses the genes for CRH as early as the seventh week of gestation and it is the expotential increase in placental CRH (pCRH) over the course of human gestation that is responsible for the greatest modification in the maternal stress system. The bi-directional placental release of hormones into the maternal and fetal compartments has profound influences for both. The influential Fetal Programming model predicted that early or fetal exposures to maternal signals of threat or adverse conditions have lifelong consequences for health outcomes. A basic assumption of this model was that developing organisms play a dynamic role in their own construction. Data are reviewed and new data are presented that elevated pCRH over the course of human gestation plays a fundamental role in the organization of the fetal nervous system, modifies birth phenotype (the timing of the onset of spontaneous labor and delivery), and influences developmental temperamental and metabolic trajectories. Evidence for sex differences and conserved function across species is presented. Finally, a model is presented that proposes several pathways that pCRH can program risk for health and disease.

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Fetal programming of children's obesity risk

Cited by 64 publications

References 54 publications

Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood obesity

Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood obesity

Stress and Androgen Activity During Fetal Development

Fetal exposure to placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) programs developmental trajectories

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