High Food Supply in Perinatal Life Appears to Favour the Development of Insulin-Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM)^* in Later Life^**

Abstract

1. Men who were born in war and post-war periods with shortage of food supply showed a markedly low prevalence of insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM), but not of non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (NITDM) in later life. 2. A significant increase (+ 54%) of ITDM prevalence was observed between 1976 and 1982 for subjects at 26-31 years of age, who were born in a post-war period (1945-50) with shortage and a peace period (1951-56) without shortage of food supply, respectively. By contrast, there was not found an increase --but even a slight decrease (-14%) -of ITDM prevalence between 1976 and 1982 for subjects at 38-43 years of age, who were born in a peace period (1933-38) without shortage and a war period with shortage of food supply, respectively. A similar clear dependence of diabetes prevalence on food supply in perinatal life could not be observed for NITDM. On the other hand, the prevalence of NITDM appeared to be significantly dependent -in contrast to ITDM -on food supply in adulthood.

Early Postnatal Overfeeding and Diabetes Susceptibility

“…An increased susceptibility to diabetes was also found in such rats in later life (Dörner et al, 1988). Clinical investigations proposed that hyperalimentation in perinatal life can predispose to the development of ITDM in later life (Dörner et al, 1985;Grüttner, 1982). Early postnatal hyperphagia led to obesity and hyperinsulinemia (Aubert et al, 1980), which was considered together with insulin resistance to be involved in the etiology and clinical course of NIDDM (Reaven, 1988).…”

Antibiotic Treatment of Pregnant Non‐Obese Diabetic Mice Leads to Altered Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Immunological Changes in the Offspring

“…However, there are only few studies showing the association of changes in epigenetic programming and T1D risk. On the contrary, it has been shown in mice and humans that under-nutrition during pregnancy reduces the incidence of T1D [33,34]. Recently, it has also been demonstrated that the use of antibiotics during pregnancy can alter methylation of several genes involved in appropriate growth and development in the foetus and this was associated with lower birth weight in the children [35].…”

Developmental gene×environment interactions affecting systems regulating energy homeostasis and obesity

“…From this he proposed that abnormal levels of systemic hormones and neurotransmitters produced by either genetic defects or deficient environments occurring during brain development can act as teratogens producing abnormal brain organization leading to permanent dysfunctions of fundamental processes such as metabolism [26]. He later showed that men who were born during the food shortages during and after the war (1943–47) had a lower incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), but a more than a 50% higher incidence of T2DM compared to comparable subjects born after the food shortages occurred [27]. In addition, Ravelli and colleagues[28; 29] periodically assessed the offspring of mothers who were undernourished (400–800 calories per day) during various phases of gestation as a result of the Dutch Hunger Winter that occurred in the western Netherlands after World War II.…”