Nutritional programming: prenatal nutritional effects on the regulation of growth and metabolism

Abstract

Research on the foetal nutritional origins of adult onset disease in rodents have uncovered a plethora of programming effects on adult metabolic and cardiovascular health. This relationship is a consequence of disordered foetal growth and alteration of the programmed development of various homeostatic control points. Until recently, applicability of early nutritional programming to livestock species has received little attention. An overview is given on the evidence of foetal programming effects brought about by global and protein under-and overnutrition in rodents and sheep. Maternal and foetal endocrine alterations of glucocorticoids, insulin and the insulin-like growth factor system related to maternal malnutrition during pregnancy are discussed.

Hormonal and neural regulation of intestinal function in pigs

“…The composition of sow diet, in terms of dietary energy and protein, influence fetal development as well as lactogenesis. Maternal malnutrition (undernutrition and overnutrition) retards fetal growth and may have negative consequences on hormonal status (e.g., insulin, IGF), adiposity and cardiovascular function in the adult life (for references see: Metges and Hammon, 2005). Our recent studies showed that supplementation of the diet of pregnant sows with the biologically active substances (taurine, L-carnitine, polyunsaturated fatty acids, flavonoids and antioxidants) affects the development of the GI function in pig neonates.…”

Direct and indirect effects of early-life environment on lifetime fitness of bighorn ewes

“…Organisms are particularly susceptible to their environment during developmental stages [1]. Malnutrition during foetal or early life can permanently modify epigenetic, hormonal and physiological traits [2,3]. In humans, nutrition is critical for proper infant development and can affect adult metabolism [4].…”

“…Early-life conditions may also have direct long-term effects on fitness through mechanisms that are independent of body mass. For example, several studies have shown that early-life conditions affect future performance through modifications of metabolism [2,24], immunocompetence [9], hormonal regulation [10] or epigenetic mechanisms [25]. The long-term physiological consequences of early-life environment have attracted particular attention in humans because of their health implications [26].…”

Genetic Basis, Nutritional Challenges and Adaptive Responses in the Prenatal Origin of Obesity and Type-2 Diabetes

“…The studies in the pigs have the inconvenience that litter size and birth weight are scarcely modified by changes in maternal nutrition during gestation [40][41][42]. However, there is a lack of studies on the effects of variations in maternal diet quantity and quality over offspring performance traits later in life [43]. This is a very interesting area of development since the birth of piglets with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), coexisting with normal littermates, is common in swine.…”